Guile
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Posts posted by Guile
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1 hour ago, Bert Diesel said:
Put whatever stock you like in this but Corey Pronman has upgraded his rating of Madden from a Depth prospect to a legit NHL prospect (at or close to 1st round status)
Tyler Madden, C, Vancouver (Northeastern-Hockey East)
2018 projection: Depth prospect
Current projection: Legit NHL prospect
Draft slot: No. 68
I remember watching Madden early in his draft season and thinking he was a clear top 2-3 round prospect. I saw tremendous skill and vision and the production was there. Then he had an iffy second half, his scoring tailed off, he wasn’t playing a ton in his USHL games and concerns about his skating led me to drop him down my board. At Northeastern this season he is showing more of what he displayed early last season. Madden has been an all-situations guys for his team and its top line center, including being on PP1 for a good college team. I have some concerns about his pace/speed for a guy his size, but he’s looked a tad quicker than I thought. Northeastern’s coach Jim Madigan pointed out how lean he is right now and that his speed will improve as he bulks up.
Awesome! He's had quite the impressive start, stepped right into the Hockey Gaud's spot in his team and our prospect pool. Early times, but couldn't have done much more right to begin his year.
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1 hour ago, Kootenay Gold said:
A good read in CA this morning by Darryl Keeping; https://canucksarmy.com/2018/10/22/the-price-of-gold/
I don't normally read canucks army past checking Biech's twitter account regularly, but this was an excellent read for sure. Goldy is creating like a mad man; there are many video snippets in that article of good plays he's made in the last 3-4 games. Worth checking out.
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On 20/10/2018 at 8:46 AM, Horvat is a Boss said:
Everything he does looks so transferable to the NHL. The puck protection is very good, and that's a skill that I believe allows young players to make the NHL soon after being drafted. The agility on his cuts down below the goal line is hard to defend. Obviously, wicked hands. He would, for me, complete our core group of forwards. The only question I have is how high would your jump for joy be if we drafted him?
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12 minutes ago, Kootenay Gold said:
Sometimes adversity creates opportunities for other players on the team to rise up to a new challenge... time will tell.
These are great times for management to evaluate those that rise up to a challenge and those that do not.
True, MacEwen stepped up last year after injuries if I remember correctly. Lots of those wingers will find out if they can drive their line's play.
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Gotta love Archie:
Defence? I hate playing defence.
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Vintage already posted a thread, but Gaudette is not playing today (call-up confirmed). Think yesterday he was playing with Archibald and Carcone. These are the lines today vs. the Marlies.
I have to say, I love the sets of wingers, but man, as has been discussed plenty on here, the centre depth is slightly yikes-worthy with Gaudette gone. Scary. Lots of young guys on the wing will be depended on to create starting right now.
Edit: Awesome D though
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While I'm at it, here's the full set:
And just cuz:
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From Carcone and Darcy.
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Utica plays their first pre-season game tonight against the Binghamton Devils. It's going to be just as exciting (if not more) to watch the young guys learn this year in Utica vs watching the big club. I'm thrilled to have two teams to follow that will both show many signs of progress this year.
First regular season game is October 5, next Friday, against Toronto.
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35 minutes ago, rekker said:
Yes. Forgot to mention the footwork - edgework that goes with the modern approach. I sit with parents now and to hear the constant "take the body, take the body" is laughable. Still a place for finishing checks but many folks cant appreciate the speed the game is played at now. Especially as a dman. Engaging and checking a player while still being able to angle off and be back in the play quicker than the guy you just checked is how you play D now. Finishing a check, while looking good, mostly puts you out of position now. JO plays this modern style. I'd say he is closer to 6'3" than 6'2" and the reach also helps with the stick checks for sure. He is smart and heads up as well. Not sure if he makes the team out of camp but he will eventually be a very effective dman in the NHL.
JO - Legendary Canucks defenseman Jed Ovanovski?
Jokes aside, this style of play makes him valuable regardless of whether or not he puts up points. He will frequently prevent scoring chances and (directly or indirectly) cause the Canucks to gain possession of the puck in an efficient, even conservative, manner.
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2 minutes ago, NUCKER67 said:
Cassels, Labate and Candella are gone
From the line above his table: "I will update closer to the start of the NHL season, but for now, here is a look at how Canucks prospects did during last year (regular season and playoffs, if applicable)"
Still neat to see those guys and perhaps use their stats as justification/discussion points while August lingers, perhaps?
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Big thanks for doing this, @Down by the River. A few observations from last year's data:
- Demko's save percentage is beautiful
- Look at that progression from Cole Cassels - more than doubled his PPG! Can't believe we let him go... \s
- I'd forgotten how well McEneny started the year before his injury, that's a nice stat line
- Love seeing Juolevi, Dahlen and Lind increase their PPG in the playoffs vs. regular season
- Similarly for Dipietro, ridiculous performances in the playoffs this season
- Gaudette's stat line isn't fair to him, and I don't think he'll wait long to rectify those zeros
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8 hours ago, Dats hockey said:
Anyone think Leipsic-Granny-JV
would be a good line?
I actually like that idea in principle, but you don't have a face-off winner on that line and that would create some interesting problems. See below; that basically forces EP to play on the other offence-oriented line, which happens to be the top line, because he certainly would not be utilized well on a checking line. That sounds good to me, to be clear, but then suddenly Thing 1 and 2, which you'd think based on talent would be Baertschi and Eriksson, don't really fit on their lines. In other words, I think Jake would be a great fit on one of the two defence-oriented lines because of his turnover/counterattack ability, and other players (Bear, Loui, perhaps Goldy or Gagner) fit better on more offensive lines as well. Granlund, while obviously capable of offence (from two seasons ago), would also look good on a defensive line.
Pettersson-Horvat-Boeser
Roussel-Sutter-Thing1
Leipsic-Granny-JV
Schaller-Beagle-Thing2
That doesn't look so hot big picture, but I still like the combination of players you have there when looking at the line out of context. Hard workers all, turnovers, a decent passer and some raw skill and speed
We could potentially see it post-injuries IF Granlund is trusted at C and can be at least mediocre at face-offs.
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9 hours ago, Ray_Cathode said:
I watched most of Utica’s games last year, and he’s no Gretzky or Oates, if that is the standard of playmaker, but there is more than one way to make plays that end up with the puck in the net. One way is taking pucks to the net and eliminating defencemen - the garbage that gets left in such a player’s wake is also a play by intention. And he also passes the puck. The real struggle for McEwan last year was getting the first few goals.
Thanks for filling me in, that's cause for further optimism! I was actually going to mention that being one way he could earn assists even if his vision and passing isn't much above average (not a bad thing if so). Hopefully he starts out quickly, gets a goal or two in the first 5-8 games and progresses form there.
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7 hours ago, Ray_Cathode said:
Don't know why you say he's "Not a playmaker at all." He had 10 goals and 23 assists last season, his first in the AHL. That's more than twice as many assists as goals. Even in junior he had more assists than goals.
Fair enough, but the majority of players have that weighting since it's easier to get an assist (5 out of top 50 scorers last year had more goals than assists, one was evenly split). I was more thinking of a couple posts I saw in the Utica thread this year, where a couple of the local Comets fans said similar things about him. If I recall correctly, particularly at the beginning of the season, they said he was playing with his head down and attempting to skate the puck himself. I may be misremembering from last year's camp, Junior playoffs, etc, but I think it was the Utica guys. That said, the reports from them near the end of the season were that he really progressed offensively, was starting to learn defensively, and overall had a promising first pro year. I'm quite excited to see him in camp and find out if he'll continue improving with comfort and experience!
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20 minutes ago, aGENT said:
What if I'm already drinking a beer?
Double up, buttercup!
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14 hours ago, rizzuto&hatoum said:
At last year's development camp, he seemed more like a puck hog.
He's definitely a power forward, go to the net, do-it-yourself kind of guy, though he has quite soft hands. Not a playmaker at all, as of last year's dev camp. You also have to remember that he was "the guy" on his junior team behind Vitaly Abramov, so was probably used to being leaned on to make things happen.
@UticaHockey, still much the same regarding his less-than-excellent passing/vision.distribution?
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34 minutes ago, Watchincanucks said:
Gaudette is a perfect candidate for 3rd line centre. Is known for being a great two way player. His offensive game is good not great. Is tenacious on the puck, speed skill and some physicality to his game. Not going to supplant Horvat or Pettersson in top 6 offensively, but is probably a bit more advanced in defensive game than Pettersson is currently.
Exactly, I fully agree; I just happen to think that he'll make it there in a season or two, not this October with how many bodies are in front of him.
Edit: Admittedly, a line of Roussel-Gaudette-Sutter (latter two interchangeable positionally, Gaudette can play C for weaker opposition matchups and take a percentage of face-offs) could work, but this would again push Leipsic or Goldy off the team. Not the worst scenario, but avoidable.
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32 minutes ago, Horvat is a Boss said:
My concern isn't losing players on waivers, it's not being able to put all of our young players in the best possible situation to develop. Goldobin and Leipsic need offensive minutes in the NHL to show what they can do. Gaudette would likely benefit more from playing "easy" minutes in the bottom 6 (the Horvat route) in the NHL rather than in Utica. Pettersson is the top priority to get offensive minutes. Virtanen should be allowed to grow his game in a variety of situations. All of that simply isn't possible for this year.
What I meant by the Beagle question was that even if Beagle (or someone similar contract/age wise) did get outplayed by Gaudette or any other young player, they wouldn't get sent down. You're having Gaudette compete against someone who can't lose. That's not competition. It might not be Beagle specifically, he was just an example.
Do you seriously think the team will waive Baertschi if Goldobin and Leipsic outplay him?
I think Gaudette should be developed as a center first and foremost. I'd rather him play that position in Utica rather than wing in the NHL.
It's not an emergency that can be solved by making one move out of camp.
Leipsic and Goldobin shouldn't be the ones leaving. What's the point of having the youth movement if your going to get rid of some of your young players?
If Beagle can be trusted to recover from a poor camp, how is it possible for him to lose that spot to Gaudette? I thought we were supposed to cut the weak links and keep the best players? Again, that's not competition.
I thought Schaller might be on IR too, but this article says that he should be ready for camp
"Schaller also has a hand injury sustained at the end of last season that required surgery. It’s expected to keep him out for three months, meaning he should be available at the start of training camp, but it could affect his off-season training."
You're right that Gaudette should play as a center, regardless of which team. It may be that management/Green foresee/want/need Gaudette starting in Utica regardless of his and others' performance in training camp. Not exactly fair, nor does it foster the competition you want, but it may be another Stecher situation that certainly won't hurt Adam in the slightest.
Signing Beagle really opened up a lot of options for the next couple seasons, and it bought both Gaudette and Pettersson time to falter and develop with few consequences (should it happen). Sutter is around for three more years, Beagle four, and obviously Horvat is 1C if/until he's surpassed by EP at C. Gaudette should complete the set of 4 guys who are permanently 100% centres all the time; EP, as has been discussed thoroughly, may not be that ever (unlikely) or for some stretch of time. However, assuming (within 1-2 years) Horvat/Pettersson/Gaudette develop sufficiently to be our top 3 centres, legitimately capable of producing at those levels, Beagle locking down the 4C spot, it gives us 5 NHL quality centremen on the roster. Sutter could play with EP on wing at certain times, could get spot duty on face-offs, could be traded, etc.
For the start of this next season, though, I think it likely that Gaudette starts a Comet until injuries hit for exactly the reason you mentioned: He should play centre, and there likely isn't a way to fit him in without needlessly loosing another young player with promise in Goldy/Leipsic. Sutter and Beagle take the defensive matchups, Horvat + another centre take the offensive matchups with that +1 centre playing against a third-line quality of competition. Like JR, I think that will either be EP or Gagner, even though Adam could likely fill that spot just fine and develop successfully. However, being in Utica for 1/2 to a full season (being first in line for C call-ups) won't do him any harm, and it allows us to retain more of our young talent.
Thank you for the news on Schaller! That's both great to hear and slightly unfortunate
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2 hours ago, vannuck59 said:
Give him a chance, we will carry 8 D he will be one of them
Not this year, surely? I'm a pretty big fan of his steady play, but there's quite the logjam in front of him and he has practically no chance of being claimed on waivers. No need to get rid of him, but I don't expect to see him with the big club this year barring multiple injuries.
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3 minutes ago, PhillipBlunt said:
Not sure what the hell this is, Guile. It looks like a really sad attempt at parkour.
Actual footage of Nikita Soshnikov, Joffrey Lupul, and good ol' Frankie Corrado trying to escape their cells on Robidas Island?
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1 hour ago, PhillipBlunt said:
The Canucks lost Frankie "the Machine" Corrado?!?!?!?! What!?!??!?!?!?!
Okay PB, think I started following the Canucks hard a year or two after whatever the bleep this is. Help a guy out and provide some context here?
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7 hours ago, Horvat is a Boss said:
Not a lineup where both Leipsic and Goldobin are playing. Also, none of those players who have Gaudette beating out are centers in the lineup you listed.
It really isn't as easy as move the weak link. What if Beagle has a terrible camp, would you move him?
I agree with your arguments, and think Gaudette is most likely to start in Utica for all the reasons you've mentioned. Assuming he does force himself onto the team, I also agree with JR that somebody will have to be traded or waived and that loss is just a fact of having more capable bodies than spots. Leipsic and Goldobin could both likely fetch a later round pick, even at this busy time of the year, and if not we risk waivers. If they go, unfortunately they go and we lose quality depth and promise, but by definition it's because someone better took their spot.
There is also the possibility of Schaller still needing recovery time after his off-season surgery (hand/wrist?), so that may temporarily buy us an extra slot and time for someone to get injured, morbid as that is.
And no, though I fully get the point you're making, Beagle would be trusted to recover from a few poor games in the pre-season, consummate veteran, leader, and gym maniac that he is.
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2018-19 Utica Comets Thread
in Prospects / Farm Team
Posted
@UticaHockey @Connor comet
So ideally, something like this for centre depth?
Kero
Gaudette
Gaunce
Hamilton/Darcy/whathaveyou
Just watched the goal highlights from today and I saw Boucher's nameplate a lot, and apparently hit iron a couple of times as well. Archie scored, MacEwen scored, Kero put one in... Hypothetically, say the Canucks/Comets acquired a real-deal top six AHL playmaking/skilled centre. Where would that leave them (realistically, as you always are) relative to the rest of the league? How do the wingers and the D-men compare to the above average teams, and what else is missing from the team? I've seen some comments about lack of physicality, especially when Archie was with the Canucks, and some questions about generally poor team defence and too many shots allowed. Anything else?