2018-19 Utica Comets Thread

[warrchief]

3 hours ago, Dungass said:

Rumour has it Gadjo might be back on his way to the OHL.  Normally not a huge fan of prospects doing a t D+2, but in Jonah's case it might be beneficial since he missed so much of last year with injury, and it's not looking like he's going to get a ton of ice time in Utica this year.

 

On a side note, anyone have any updates on Thatcher's status?

 

1 hour ago, Horvat is a Boss said:

 

If Sazuki is back in Owen Sound, then there's no reason Gadjovich can't be either. I would like to see him use the first half of the year to recover and then play regular minutes, but we'll have to see.

 

I think Owen Sound has three overagers anyways. So barring a trade, he can't be sent back to Owen Sound... I think he needs to either play in Kalamazoo or another adult league

 

 

[DeNiro]

4 hours ago, Dungass said:

Rumour has it Gadjo might be back on his way to the OHL.  Normally not a huge fan of prospects doing a t D+2, but in Jonah's case it might be beneficial since he missed so much of last year with injury, and it's not looking like he's going to get a ton of ice time in Utica this year.

 

On a side note, anyone have any updates on Thatcher's status?

So we're prioritizing Bouchers "development" over Gadjovichs?

 

Still not confident in this teams development method. They need to look to Tampa for how it's done right. Right now I see them putting career ahlers ahead of the development of prospects.

[TGT68]

I have been more confused by Jasek (7 pts in 6 regular season ahl games) sitting. You would think he would be in the top 6 every night with those stats and the ability to play either wing.  Unsure if he is nursing a minor injury and not just being scratched in a league he has better than ppg numbers.  

[Dungass]

35 minutes ago, TGT68 said:

I have been more confused by Jasek (7 pts in 6 regular season ahl games) sitting. You would think he would be in the top 6 every night with those stats and the ability to play either wing.  Unsure if he is nursing a minor injury and not just being scratched in a league he has better than ppg numbers.  

Perhaps nursing an injury, but aside from his impressive stint at the end of last year, I haven't been terribly impressed with what I've seen this year.  He was completely invisible during both the Young Stars tourney and the pre-season.

[Dungass]

2 hours ago, warrchief said:

 

 

I think Owen Sound has three overagers anyways. So barring a trade, he can't be sent back to Owen Sound... I think he needs to either play in Kalamazoo or another adult league

 

 

Interesting, the rumour I was referring to was from Botch's "Athleticies" or whatever the hell he's calling his column.  His reasoning was that, unlike Lind, Gadjo's ELC contract can slide for another year if he returns to junior.  I dunno, I just want the kid to play.  I'm pretty impressed with his combination of skill and toughness and would hate to have a him waste a year watching minor-league action from the press box.

[Kootenay Gold]

1 minute ago, Dungass said:

Perhaps nursing an injury, but aside from his impressive stint at the end of last year, I haven't been terribly impressed with what I've seen this year.  He was completely invisible during both the Young Stars tourney and the pre-season.

Not sure what to make of him either. While he impressed at the end of last season in Utica; it was a small sample size. He did not stand out in preseason this year and maybe his conditioning was not up to the level expected of him when he came into camp, who knows what the reasoning is. Perhaps he will slot in sometime in the next few games. Lots of extra forwards to choose from on the roster so this might be a common occurrence till injuries  thin out the lineup.

 

[UticaHockey]

2 hours ago, DeNiro said:

So we're prioritizing Bouchers "development" over Gadjovichs?

 

Still not confident in this teams development method. They need to look to Tampa for how it's done right. Right now I see them putting career ahlers ahead of the development of prospects.

I am very familiar with how Tampa Bay uses their AHL team since the Crunch are just 45 minutes from Utica and the Comets play them 12 times a year.  Trust me they are not doing anything differently than Vancouver and the Comets when it comes to the usage of veterans and prospects.  Syracuse always has veterans in prominent roles.  Examples in the past couple of years are AHL/NHL tweeners such as Cory Conacher and Erik Condra.  Reid Boucher fits into that AHL/NHL tweener definition and shares one big thing in common with Conacher and Condra in that all of them were mainstays on the #1 power play unit.

 

This year the Crunch have 28 year old Gabriel Dumont and 27 year old Andy Adreoff taking prominent roles up front and 28 year old Cameron Gaunce plus 27 year old Hubert Labrie leading up the defense.  I won't even go into the list of absolute plug goons that the Crunch have each year because that is what sells tickets in Syracuse and Tampa Bay supports it.

 

You make it sound like  Vancouver and the Comets prioritize veterans over prospects while ignoring the fact that almost every team in the league does the same thing and especially the team that you used as an example.  I listed only a few names of veterans but there are plenty more besides them.

 

If the rumors that Gadjovich going back to juniors are even true it is because Ryan Johnson and Jim Benning believe that is the best thing for his development and not some rogue coach in Utica not caring about development.  It's kind of funny because that was the same thing Travis Green was accused of.  

Edited October 8, 2018 by UticaHockey

[DeNiro]

33 minutes ago, UticaHockey said:

I am very familiar with how Tampa Bay uses their AHL team since the Crunch are just 45 minutes from Utica and the Comets play them 12 times a year.  Trust me they are not doing anything differently than Vancouver and the Comets when it comes to the usage of veterans and prospects.  Syracuse always has veterans in prominent roles.  Examples in the past couple of years are AHL/NHL tweeners such as Cory Conacher and Erik Condra.  Reid Boucher fits into that AHL/NHL tweener definition and shares one big thing in common with Conacher and Condra in that all of them were mainstays on the #1 power play unit.

 

This year the Crunch have 28 year old Gabriel Dumont and 27 year old Andy Adreoff taking prominent roles up front and 28 year old Cameron Gaunce plus 27 year old Hubert Labrie leading up the defense.  I won't even go into the list of absolute plug goons that the Crunch have each year because that is what sells tickets in Syracuse and Tampa Bay supports it.

Actually they are doing something different than us. They're graduating their prospects to the NHL, we're not. Our track record for developing NHL talent through our minor league system has been brutal for the last 10 years. 

 

The reason they have those older players on their team now is because a lot of their prospects were given opportunities at the next level.

 

I'm not saying that no 28 year old career ahlers should be given opportunities.  I'm saying these guys should be there in a support role to play with our prospects, not be replacing them in the lineup. Of course a 28 year old career ahler is going to beat out a rookie for a spot, they know that when they sign these guys. That's not seeing the bigger picture though.

 

I've watched our farm team try and develop nhl talent for long enough to know that there's a certain method that doesnt work. Until they prove otherwise I don't see any reason to think it's going to work any better.

[DeNiro]

44 minutes ago, UticaHockey said:

If the rumors that Gadjovich going back to juniors are even true it is because Ryan Johnson and Jim Benning believe that is the best thing for his development and not some rogue coach in Utica not caring about development.  It's kind of funny because that was the same thing Travis Green was accused of.  

They believe that's the best place for his development because they believe there will be no opportunity for him in utica. There's no opportunity for him because they've signed too many journeyman AHLers who they believe give them a better opportunity to win, simply because of their track records. Winning and development has to be a balance though, right now I see one being weighed over the other.

 

Every farm team has these players yes, but not every farm team seems to put up road blocks for our prospects like ours does. Again it comes down to a proven track record. This organization doesn't have it. And until they start producing NHL talent, they deserve to be under the microscope.

 

Toronto and Tampa are both organizations that have given young players lots of opportunity on their farm team and given them regular call ups. The reason they don't have many prospects left on those teams is because they given them a clear route to the next level. That should be the goal for every farm team. You don't want your prospects there longer than they need to be. If they're ready they need to be given opportunities. Youll never get them ready by sitting them in the press box.

[Connor comet]

Boucher getting top minutes is not an issue. He needs to play so he is ready in case called up to Vancouver. 

 

I'm sure some of these younger guys will start some games soon, the Comets have only played 2 games. Got their butts handed to them vrs the marlies, how do you think they would fare with all young

and inexperienced players in the lineup?? 

 

Game 2 was a 3-1 win against a weak team. 

I think it's the woods, Darcy's And the like that will need to sit out.

 

Edited October 8, 2018 by Connor comet

[theo5789]

19 minutes ago, DeNiro said:

They believe that's the best place for his development because they believe there will be no opportunity for him in utica. There's no opportunity for him because they've signed too many journeyman AHLers who they believe give them a better opportunity to win, simply because of their track records. Winning and development has to be a balance though, right now I see one being weighed over the other.

 

Every farm team has these players yes, but not every farm team seems to put up road blocks for our prospects like ours does. Again it comes down to a proven track record. This organization doesn't have it. And until they start producing NHL talent, they deserve to be under the microscope.

 

Toronto and Tampa are both organizations that have given young players lots of opportunity on their farm team and given them regular call ups. The reason they don't have many prospects left on those teams is because they given them a clear route to the next level. That should be the goal for every farm team. You don't want your prospects there longer than they need to be. If they're ready they need to be given opportunities. Youll never get them ready by sitting them in the press box.

I don't think Toronto and Tampa are on the same curve as the Canucks which is why there is a discrepancy in players transitioning.

 

Toronto had been poor for nearly a decade and allowing them to accumulate high end players and having a Matthews boosted them to the next level, which is what has not happened for us yet, if at all. The Tavares element is another boost for them, but their defense still needs a lot of work and is questionable if they have much in the pipeline to help them soon.

 

Tampa started improving their drafting and development after moving their farm team from Norfolk to Syracuse in 2012. I'd say we made a similar improvement maybe 3-4 years ago, so we are slightly behind them at this point. We have the players coming into the system now, so it's a matter of time before the graduating begins as our farm team now has farm more quality Canuck property than I can ever remember since maybe back in the Manitoba Moose days when Bieksa/Burrows/Kesler were there.

 

It looks like our progression is on track and similarly following the Tampa model I would say. We could see Juolevi/Sautner/Chatfield getting regular call ups as soon as this season and on forward, I wouldn't be surprised to see guys like Gaudette and Dahlen get looks. The following year Jasek, Lind, Palmu, Brisebois, etc would get their turn. I'm glad we are not rushing things and none of these players made an impression to make the jump just yet. As for Gadjovich, there are a few guys ahead of him (I would say Gaunce and MacEwen) at the AHL level and it benefits us contractually to send him back to juniors rather than have him in the ECHL.

[UticaHockey]

2 hours ago, DeNiro said:

They believe that's the best place for his development because they believe there will be no opportunity for him in utica. There's no opportunity for him because they've signed too many journeyman AHLers who they believe give them a better opportunity to win, simply because of their track records. Winning and development has to be a balance though, right now I see one being weighed over the other.

 

Every farm team has these players yes, but not every farm team seems to put up road blocks for our prospects like ours does. Again it comes down to a proven track record. This organization doesn't have it. And until they start producing NHL talent, they deserve to be under the microscope.

 

Toronto and Tampa are both organizations that have given young players lots of opportunity on their farm team and given them regular call ups. The reason they don't have many prospects left on those teams is because they given them a clear route to the next level. That should be the goal for every farm team. You don't want your prospects there longer than they need to be. If they're ready they need to be given opportunities. Youll never get them ready by sitting them in the press box.

I agree with what you say just not all of it.  Maybe you are using a bad example with Boucher because top end AHL talent is something common place across the AHL.  Where I do agree with you is the Comets have too many AHL plugs like Darcy, Woods, Hamilton and Bancks in the line up ahead of prospects.  But there has to be a happy medium between vets and kids because you do want to have prospects developing in a winning environment and you do need veteran leadership in the dressing room.  

 

To quote Ryan Johnson directly.  

 

"I think what people don’t understand is how hard this league is. It’s not that far off from the National Hockey League. Putting these young guys in the lineup, you have to insulate them with players that’ll help them find success. If we played three lines of 19- and 20-year-olds in this league, we’d get absolutely killed. And our players would have a tough time growing and experiencing any type of success."

[Kootenay Gold]

4 minutes ago, UticaHockey said:

"I think what people don’t understand is how hard this league is. It’s not that far off from the National Hockey League. Putting these young guys in the lineup, you have to insulate them with players that’ll help them find success. If we played three lines of 19- and 20-year-olds in this league, we’d get absolutely killed. And our players would have a tough time growing and experiencing any type of success."

Ryan Johnson is absolutely bang on with this statement!

[DeNiro]

57 minutes ago, UticaHockey said:

I agree with what you say just not all of it.  Maybe you are using a bad example with Boucher because top end AHL talent is something common place across the AHL.  Where I do agree with you is the Comets have too many AHL plugs like Darcy, Woods, Hamilton and Bancks in the line up ahead of prospects.  But there has to be a happy medium between vets and kids because you do want to have prospects developing in a winning environment and you do need veteran leadership in the dressing room.  

 

To quote Ryan Johnson directly.  

 

"I think what people don’t understand is how hard this league is. It’s not that far off from the National Hockey League. Putting these young guys in the lineup, you have to insulate them with players that’ll help them find success. If we played three lines of 19- and 20-year-olds in this league, we’d get absolutely killed. And our players would have a tough time growing and experiencing any type of success."

Right now the only current forward in the lineup who is 19/20 is Dahlen, and he played in a mens league last season.

 

I get what he's saying about not playing all rookies, but at the same time to see all three of Lind, Gadjovich, and Jasek sitting is kind of disheartening.

 

It's only been two games so I'm not going to get overly concerned. I would just hate to see a situation where we're sending guys back to junior or down to the ECHL without even giving them a shot. If their goal is to keep the status quo of last season and be a bubble team, then this is the lineup to do it. If they want to see what they've got in these young guys and elevate their skill level, now's the time to do it.

 

They shouldn't be afraid of playing 19/20 year olds anyways. I mean it's not exactly hurting the Canucks is it? I think it's really more about playing "safe" players in Johnson's mind.

[JeremyCuddles]

I take it Gadjovich hasn't looked too good in Utica thus far? How has Lind looked?

[DeNiro]

18 minutes ago, N7Nucks said:

I take it Gadjovich hasn't looked too good in Utica thus far? How has Lind looked?

Hasn't even played a game I don't think.

 

Lind has played one game and wasn't too noticeable from what i recall.

 

These guys need time to adjust though.

[JeremyCuddles]

Just now, DeNiro said:

Hasn't even played a game I don't think.

 

Lind has played one game and wasn't too noticeable from what i recall.

 

These guys need time to adjust though.

Has the season only just started? I normally don't start following the AHL until it's obvious the Canucks are gonna be doo-doo. 

[Kootenay Gold]

19 minutes ago, N7Nucks said:

Has the season only just started? I normally don't start following the AHL until it's obvious the Canucks are gonna be doo-doo. 

The Comets have played two regular season games so far and are 1 and 1.

[theo5789]

59 minutes ago, DeNiro said:

Right now the only current forward in the lineup who is 19/20 is Dahlen, and he played in a mens league last season.

 

I get what he's saying about not playing all rookies, but at the same time to see all three of Lind, Gadjovich, and Jasek sitting is kind of disheartening.

 

It's only been two games so I'm not going to get overly concerned. I would just hate to see a situation where we're sending guys back to junior or down to the ECHL without even giving them a shot. If their goal is to keep the status quo of last season and be a bubble team, then this is the lineup to do it. If they want to see what they've got in these young guys and elevate their skill level, now's the time to do it.

 

They shouldn't be afraid of playing 19/20 year olds anyways. I mean it's not exactly hurting the Canucks is it? I think it's really more about playing "safe" players in Johnson's mind.

I think it's more about building a hard working, winning environment. When you win, you build confidence which hopefully gets translated to the next level. That's how you see the most potential in what players you do have.

 

The AHL has triple headers at times and there are always going to be a rotation of players, so it's just early in the season and trying to get these young players adjusted to the next level. They have to get the vets going as well in case the big club runs into injuries or whatever depleting their lineup. With that said, just like the NHL, you have to earn you time and outplay who's there. This attitude seems to run through the organization.

 

Who cares what age the players are? I look at how many actual Canuck prospects are playing and I see Gaudette, Juolevi, Chatfield, MacEwen, Palmu, Dahlen and Lind in game 1 along with Canuck property in Gaunce, Boucher, Sautner and things are looking more promising in the future already, but give it a couple more years before the graduates start to file in more consistently.

 

With that said, remember when Green sat Boeser out for two games and what reaction that got? It worked out in the end, so I would wait until further into the season to see how things progress before being disheartened.

[GoldenAlien]

Wait wait, hold up a second.  Am I the only one who noticed this?

 

16 hours ago, Dungass said:

Rumour has it Gadjo might be back on his way to the OHL.  Normally not a huge fan of prospects doing a t D+2, but in Jonah's case it might be beneficial since he missed so much of last year with injury, and it's not looking like he's going to get a ton of ice time in Utica this year.

 

10 hours ago, Dungass said:

Interesting, the rumour I was referring to was from Botch's "Athleticies" or whatever the hell he's calling his column.  His reasoning was that, unlike Lind, Gadjo's ELC contract can slide for another year if he returns to junior.

The rumour of Gadjovich going back to juniors (which has not been brought up before) is actually just reasoning from Botchford???   

 

Let's rewind and start over.  Gadjovich is not, and was not in danger of, going back to juniors.  He's going to get his chances, we have no reason to believe otherwise except for Botch's idle speculation.