I missed the game, how did he look overall? I've always felt he's been massively underrated by our fan base.
Also curious, how did Sven, Monahan, and Poirier look?
Ferland played well. He was not the physical force that he usually is, but he did get caught up in a few skirmishes after the whistle. He looks noticeably faster in my opinion which may be a good indication that he has put in the work over the summer to improve on his conditioning and overall fitness levels. His skill for a big man is high end, and his upside is still amongst the most intriguing in our prospect pool. I am looking forward to seeing what he can do in Abbotsford this year (hopefully he gets in Ward's good books).
Sven showed glimpses of high end skill (he had a sick give and go with Knight in period one that resulted in a great glove save by bunz) but really did not dominate the game like some expected him to do. I don't think he played bad by any means, and in fact didn't even get that much icetime from what I could see.
I thought Monahan was excellent. I have read a few comments saying that he was merely average but I strongly disagree. His positioning and defensive instincts are NHL caliber at this very moment, and while his offensive game is by no means flashy..it is productive. His hockey sense becomes so prevalent when you are solely watching him as the play develops. He is always in the correct spot.
Poirier looked average at best in the first period, but really turned it on in the second and third periods of the scrimmage. As we all know he can skate like the wind, but the thing that impressed me the most was his ability to go to the dirty ares on the ice and crash the net. He scored his goal because of that innate ability of being around the puck at all times. I have a tough time not imagining him as an NHL player in some capacity in the future.