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Fanuck

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Everything posted by Fanuck

  1. I was at the mini-camp in Brossard Quebec when Gaunce was trying out. I watched every practice/scrimmage they had there and I can tell you he was noticeably slower than others on the ice at the time. I also watched him numerous times live when he played with Bellville and actually got to see him play a few times for Erie (not in Erie, but elsewhere in the OHL). So I think I have a sample size of real-life experience of seeing this player with his peers and I can say his size/positioning made up for an obvious lack of foot-speed on the ice. That said, I haven't seen him live for quite a while and I don't know how he's progressed since being under the guidance of the Utica coaching staff other than seeing the stats/highlights on their website. Mathias was a more dominant/prolific scorer in jr. ironically also for Bellville and he had a career year this year with 27 points in his 7th year as a pro player. I think there may be some similarities to be drawn between Gaunce and Mathias which may be good or perhaps not depending on how you look at the two players. Not to change gears too drastically, but Shinkaruk was also at the Brossard world jr. camp at the same time and he was fast, I mean he was as fast as ANY of the players there and we are talking about some elite prospect in Hudon, McDavid, Domi, Drouin, Lazar, ect....
  2. This would be the perfect opportunity for JV to come in and make a positive impact - be a game-changer for the Hitmen if you will! Everyone knows he has the physical tools to dominate at this level, now he has to show he has the mental game to dominate physically within the boundaries that the league has shown him.
  3. Overall, I agree. Stay in school and secure your future beyond the game and all that stuff.... However, if you're a higher pick (first or second rounder) and you have a very finite career ahead of you (average NHL career is approximately 5.5 years) you must feel some pressure to go pro at the earliest opportunity I think.
  4. I know he's played better as the playoffs have moved forward. But all great players have more when the stakes get higher. I'm looking forward to JV raising his game even further in the conference finals and perhaps beyond.
  5. Agreed. The 4th line is a prime example of what goes right when you have the correct personnel playing in the correct positions in the appropriate spots in the line-up. Now, the unfortunate situation with Burr allows RV to play where he was always meant to play. Hopefully that will lead to some success. To get back on topic. It will be very insteresting to see what JV brings to the series with Brandon starting Friday. If he truly is an elite talent and one of the top prospects in the CHL, you would like to see him elevate his game even further to rise to the occasion as all truly great players do.
  6. Wouldn't it be nice to watch SB make a positive impact tonight & show everyone why you never trade within your division......Hockey Gods are you out there.....?
  7. SB has over 150 pro-games under his belt including 69 at the NHL level. Bennett had 1 NHL game to his credit when CGY put him in the line-up. You say it is a risk. I say it is an investment into the future of this prospect. And it's not like they aren't already taking massive runs at everyone in blue/green anyway - putting him in the line-up won't make them take bigger runs at this particular player. If they do, then VAN should be able to capitalize on their poor decisons hopefully.
  8. I have my concerns about JM's ability to dominate at the AHL level but not translate that into the NHL level. Are his numbers in Utica inflated because of the quality of the coaching/team game being played down there? Would someone like RM coaching him long-term at the NHL level bring his game up to where some people think it can be? Is he just another tale of someone who had what it took at one level but couldn't rise to the next? Is he just an example of how goalies take longer to develop? There are questions no doubt. Word is the Canucks are seeking to negotiate/sign the BC kid O'Connor. I'm always for adding quality talent to the prospect pool, but this would create even more questions than answers and throw JM's future into doubt.
  9. Having been fortunate enough to have seen JV play in person last year about 6 times and this year about 8 times (no playoffs yet though), I have to agree with a theory made earlier in this thread that he may be suffering from some form of minor (or medium level) nagging injury. Obviously not an injury that would keep him out of the line-up, especially in the playoffs, but the sort that would have an impact on his overall level of play and his ability to contribute and play his regular game. He's just not the same player right now as he seemed to be last year and/or near the part of the season right before the WJC - and I don't believe it is due to lack of effort. That said, I've always subscribed to the fact that his type of game is one that was high risk - high reward. He plays on the edge physically and is a somewhat reckless hitter (some call it fearless) - this always leaves the door open for injury unfortunately. There's a good chance I'll be in CGY Friday so I'm hoping to catch the game. I'm interested in seeing him in person in the playoffs and understand exactly what's been going on with his game recently. Of course one game does not make a clear scouting sample, but it's far better than reading the game-sheet after the fact like most people do and say that he's 'invisible' because his stats are 0-0-0-0.
  10. Pretty hot speculation that MacT did this exact slime-ball move to Prince Albert Raiders - kept LD on their roster and away from PA until they approached the magic '40 game' mark - then demanded PA trade him to a contender (rumored that he specifically demanded the Rockets) or they'd just keep him on the Oil and wouldn't care about burning a year off his contract. Again, rumors but you can do a search and hear some pretty sketchy things from some reliable reporters in/around the WHL on this topic. Don't see JB and/or TL having ANYTHING to do with these types of tactics - nor would I want them to.
  11. While I agree with you, clearly you are not familiar with some of the more hardcore idiots on CDC;)
  12. Unlike most others here, I've watched Gaunce live numerous times when he was playing in meaningful situations. . When he was with Bel, and his whole WJC summer eval camp in Brossard. As for his skating, I have to say it wasn't exceptionally noticeable vs average level OHL competition, but it was VERY noticeable (not in a positive way) vs the best of his peers at the WJC camp - he was that much slower out there. Definitely not saying bust, but there's plenty of room for improvement in this area of his development when compared to the elite of his peers.
  13. Personally, I watched his world jr camp in Brossard and was not impressed when he skated against his elite peers. Furthermore, he had a good reg/post season this past year, but by no means did he dominate which is what you'd like to see when a prospect returns to jr. I'm definitely not writing him off, but I suspect he's been caught (or even passed) by some other prospects in the system. Sutters remarks about him after he released him from WJC camp weren't flattering either unfortunately.
  14. For me, it's as much as one poor playoffs (on a pretty good Blues tm), as it's the fact he never really had an absolutely stellar playoffs, ever. As I already posteded, if JB can get us a discount, ok. If Miller wants full price/term, no thanks - rather take Hiller b/t 6-7 mil for 2 years.
  15. Myers - like idea a lot but won't be cheap. Stastny - will be pricey, and why would he leave a team on the cusp of legit contention for a team of questions? Miller - simply put, I'm not sold.
  16. Speaking for myself, if JB is paying top dollar/term, would like to see an asset wt top pedigree (playoff wins, gold medals, cups, etc....). Miller doesn't strike me as the best out there, just the best left. If JB gets a discount, well then....
  17. Brilliant move JB, invite Miller here, make it very public, and ultimately drive down Hiller's price;).
  18. Ummmmmm, that's a humor post to lighten the mood of what will surely become a s#$t-show of a thread, right?
  19. Ferraro is quickly becoming Pierre Mcguire v. 2.0. When every description out of your mouth is a superlative, they stop having any meaning.
  20. Willie is trying to recreate MH Tigers 2.0 while JB is recreating Bos, I sense a power struggle within the organization which will tear this franchise apart;).
  21. Great, another goalie controversy in the works;).
  22. This is all rather comical. First, GMMG gets fired for what I feel was the owners decision ultimately - hiring Torts (I've felt from the beginning that was an ownership decision, not a GM choice). Now Linden is getting flack (at least by some here on CDC) for letting Torts go. People should ask themselves one question - would any potential GM worth having here agree to walk into a situation where he doesn't have full control over his personnel? The logical answer is NO - therefore Linden is, in my opinion, doing the right thing - cleaning the slate (as much as he can without moving players) so the incoming GM knows that he can do it his way. This is the best situation Linden can create to attract the best candidate for GM. Then and only then will the new GM be able to create their own (not a inherited) version of what they feel is the necessary combination of coaches/players. Yes, I'm aware that the new GM will inherit a team of players with existing salaries and varying degrees of NTC/NMC, but this would be the case anywhere a new GM is hired. I'm willing to give Linden (and the new GM) at least 4-5 years on this since I feel that is a realistic time-frame to expect a turn-around into a solid long-term contender (not a one-time) cup hopeful. Yes, I realize this is FAR more patient than the 'average' CDC poster, but what can I say, I'm a patient person.
  23. Booth isn't the face of the franchise who carried the team on his back (with his brother) for the better part of 5 years taking the team to within a hair of the holy grail.....for that IMO, Sedin gets a pass (for now) while Booth needs to perform!
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