Erie Otters 2018-19 Season Thread

[NOA]

A goalie is only as good as the defense in front of him allows him to be.

problem is the defense is not the issue
has the defense been as good as last year? no but last year erie had a top 3 or top 5 defense in talent. and 1st or 2nd in shots against
i think this year they have only given up more than 30 shots just 2 times in 10 games. They have actually been outshooting opponents more often than not

erie has the worst sv% in the league at .846. Brutal
yet compare their SA ..

Erie is #1 in league in SA per game at 26.7
17 of 20 teams are giving up 30 or more shots per game. 11 of 20 giving up 32 or more shots.

only 3 teams are giving up less than 30 shots a game. Erie number 1. Number 2 in North Bay. Number 3 is OS. Nobody else below 30

certainly we have limited shots. are there breakdowns? yes. but every team in junior hockey has them. we arent perfect. but its a solid group.

its the goaltending- specifically Troy. Yes he cant save every puck. But he has let in some soft ones while also not making enough of those big saves when breakdowns do occur.

If troy just had .880 numbers, so basically still below average but something you could work with, erie would have like 7-8 less GA. considering the lower scores and one goal games they have been in - that probably translates to 2 maybe 3 more wins for this team. Not that it matters in the long run (i prefer a top 3 pick anyways) but still i also have recognized the effort level and compete - the coaching has been good - everyowhere but in net has been mostly solid. The team should have a better record. Better net play and this team could win 25-27 games on the year (most wins coming before Jan). Might not touch 20 if the net play doesnt improve and then trades start to happen.

Conversely, if the defense gave up league average of 32 per night - erie probably has another 10-15 GA. And probably only has 1 win on the year

 

[EON]

The Otters have been very good 5 on 5 but their goaltending has let them down.

However they definitely need to improve special teams and that's mostly on the coaches.

Tough weekend upcoming, doubleheader against Owen Sound. A split would be great.

 

[EON]

Wow I did not at all expect a sweep of Owen Sound, well done by this team.

PK still needs to improve but a lot of good things this weekend.

Erie is 1-5-1-0 on the road, but 4-1-0-0 at home.

 

[LDN]

Happy for you guys! It is great to see the winning culture that was created by drafting McDavid and has continued with strong management, scouting and player development. Good work Otters! I dont think its a rebuild year for you guys more of a retool. Most likely could be a 2nd round team this year

 

[NOA]

Happy for you guys! It is great to see the winning culture that was created by drafting McDavid and has continued with strong management, scouting and player development. Good work Otters! I dont think its a rebuild year for you guys more of a retool. Most likely could be a 2nd round team this year

their drafting has been tremendous since about 2010 or 2011.
Good core of 2000s with Golod, Mack, Gritz, Patry, Henry, Duff, Timmermans. Just 2/3 of those guys are needed to "pan out"
2001s is still a question mark. Sproule will need to pan out because they lacked the 2-3 rd rounders. Kischnick, already signed, has a chance to be something. Schroeder and Hoffman could be big adds if Erie can scoop them out of college route. Add in another 2001? (at least a 2000) for Raddysh, another 2001 next year for Lodnia, a top3 or 4 pick in OHL draft --- the future is less murky than some thought.

Golod, Mack, Gritz have been a strong core of 2000s here. Considering erie had no 2000s coming into the year, its been nice to see. Golod can really be something in this league. Amazing what can be done with competent drafting. Hard to argue that erie hasnt been top 4 or 5 in drafting over the last few seasons. And now it looks like they have yet another young legit coach in Hartsburg. Lets see if it continues

 

[buzzworthy]

Add to that the grit, size, and speed of these kids. They just seem to be getting better every game. It is remarkable that 2 regulars from last year didn't play either game in Byrne and G-pod. I still think they will sell, and then they will be a powerhouse in 2 years. Headrick has been very strong, as has Sambrook. Saturday night they looked really, really good. Tonight they kind of hung on. Edwardson, Martin, Robinson, and Duff also have impressed. They all have good size and grit. Nothing but thumbs up for these kids.

 

[NOA]

Add to that the grit, size, and speed of these kids. They just seem to be getting better every game. It is remarkable that 2 regulars from last year didn't play either game in Byrne and G-pod. I still think they will sell, and then they will be a powerhouse in 2 years. Headrick has been very strong, as has Sambrook. Saturday night they looked really, really good. Tonight they kind of hung on. Edwardson, Martin, Robinson, and Duff also have impressed. They all have good size and grit. Nothing but thumbs up for these kids.

yes they will sell because even with this lineup they wont be getting past round 1. if they kept this team together all year maybe, at best, they are a 6th seed team. Average (below average currently) goaltending and 6 or 7 rookies regularly in the lineup. Add another 5 or 6 guys only in year number 2 in the league. They have to sell but its encouraging that they are playing pretty good given their roster

 

[Lycanthrope]

wow just realized erie plays 8 of 9 and 9 of 11 at home, starting next saturday.
niagara, sudbury, guelph, oshawa, windsor, saginaw - very winnable games.

if they can just split OS/Barrie on the road- the home stretch should help

Well playing Sudbury in what will be three in less than three days for them will be a huge advantage considering the travel etc. We'll see you up here. By the way,considering the parity what games do you not consider to be "winnable"

 

[NOA]

Well playing Sudbury in what will be three in less than three days for them will be a huge advantage considering the travel etc. We'll see you up here. By the way,considering the parity what games do you not consider to be "winnable"

i think i more or less considered those games to just be "easier" than owen sound..but then erie won 2 straight vs OS.
either way, i felt like this stretch would dictate if we may get first overall pick or we may be too good for that. a 6-4-1 type of record didnt seem unreasonable. now they started 3-0 in this stretch and played likely the best team during it in OS - and did so without POddubyni. With 8 more games to go in this stretch and 6 at home-they may be able to go 7-4 in the 11 game stretch (just need 4-4 with remaining games). that puts theem at 9-10-1. that gives them a shot at 15 wins by mid season and that then means that 20-25 wins on the year (even if we are a mess after trades) is strong possibility and dont think you get 1st overall pick with say 22 wins

 

[EON]

As much as I'd love to see Quinton Byfield in an Otters jersey next season (if he'd report) the Otters are going to be too strong to finish last imo.

It's possible they miss the playoffs after selling but I still think they'll build up enough of a cushion and overall I like what Hartsburg has done thus far, just need to improve the special teams.

 

[NOA]

As much as I'd love to see Quinton Byfield in an Otters jersey next season (if he'd report) the Otters are going to be too strong to finish last imo.

It's possible they miss the playoffs after selling but I still think they'll build up enough of a cushion and overall I like what Hartsburg has done thus far, just need to improve the special teams.

i dont think there is really a question of a guy like byfield or most reporting to erie. i would imagine 10 years ago it was something like 40-50% of eligible players that would report here willingly - and maybe only 10-20% of the high end guys. Now? i imagine 80-90% of guys would report here (assuming they are going the ohl route such guys like Larkin or Clayton Keller may not have plyaed for any ohl team no matter what). dont think byfield will say no to anyone who could draft 1st this year but maybe sudbury. but at this point you have to consider erie at least a top 10 destinations for majority of players. if they find a way for a quick rebuild here without 10-19 win seasons, i imagine we become a top 5 spot for many prospects because we can establish the stability factor. with the only negative being the whole american town thing

i agree at this point they will be too good to get 1st overall unless they randomly change their mind on lodnia and move him before december - dont see it now.

 

[EOWS]

Looks like murdaca has found a spot to play! Acadie-Bathurst from the QMJHL. They landed a solid goalie. Goodluck to him

 

[Animal House]

Seeing that Logan Brown was returned to Windsor, I was wondering if he would be in more demand than Taylor Raddysh? And what possible destination(s) they may end up at?

 

[NOA]

Seeing that Logan Brown was returned to Windsor, I was wondering if he would be in more demand than Taylor Raddysh? And what possible destination(s) they may end up at?

he shouldnt be. just because he was drafted higher in the nhl, doesnt mean anything.
their stocks should be similar. the only difference is that brown is a center. but you need to look at ohl career and not nhl potential or stock. raddysh was dominant last year, regardless of linemates. he has picked up on it this year again ..with lesser linemates. currently with 17 points in 11 games +7..that is big time with this roster. raddysh with 81 pts (excluding the pp) in 58 games last season. +67. crazy numbers. meanwhile brown had 17 pts in 35 games off the ppand a -5. yes brown had injuries but that shows the track record of raddysh as being more consistent/durable

again they should fetch similar stuff. but raddysh shouldnt be anything less..he is either worth more to a team or similar worth as brown. the center position is the only bonus i give to brown. everything else? i would want raddysh

 

[Animal House]

Agreed. Raddysh also has 58 playoff games under his belt too. If I am going all in, I want Raddysh.

 

[Generalsupdates]

Agreed. Raddysh also has 58 playoff games under his belt too. If I am going all in, I want Raddysh.

Will come down to what you need. Like someone above said, centres are more valuable and Brown is a centre. Brown also has the "Mem Cup experience" that some will value more than others. Both will go for a similar price I'd assume

 

[NOA]

Will come down to what you need. Like someone above said, centres are more valuable and Brown is a centre. Brown also has the "Mem Cup experience" that some will value more than others. Both will go for a similar price I'd assume

the center position is the only reason they should or would fetch similar stuff. yes brown has mem cup experience...so does raddysh. raddsyh with 5g 6a and 11pts in 5 games at that tourney. logan brown w/ 1g 4a and 5pts in 5 games. they have the same experience. brown doesnt have more just because his team won. not really raddysh's fault that timpano was poor and dipietro carried windsor.

if you want scoring, want durability, and want a guy that has shown more domination and consistency at this level - you want raddysh. if you want or need a center than you might have to take brown. Mem cup "experience" is overrrated but the same for both guys anyways. brown with 2 first round playoff exits and 12 playoff games - i will take the big experience with raddsyh more - with his WJC experience and 50+ playoff games - 3 conference finals, 2 ohl finals, 1 ohl title

 

[Generalsupdates]

the center position is the only reason they should or would fetch similar stuff. yes brown has mem cup experience...so does raddysh. raddsyh with 5g 6a and 11pts in 5 games at that tourney. logan brown w/ 1g 4a and 5pts in 5 games. they have the same experience. brown doesnt have more just because his team won. not really raddysh's fault that timpano was poor and dipietro carried windsor.

if you want scoring, want durability, and want a guy that has shown more domination and consistency at this level - you want raddysh. if you want or need a center than you might have to take brown. Mem cup "experience" is overrrated but the same for both guys anyways. brown with 2 first round playoff exits and 12 playoff games - i will take the big experience with raddsyh more - with his WJC experience and 50+ playoff games - 3 conference finals, 2 ohl finals, 1 ohl title

One going 11th overall and one going 58th matters too. Especially because it was the same draft. It shouldn't, but you know Windsor is saying "He went 11th overall...." when making their demands. What NHL minds think of the players matter to these hockey guys

 

[NOA]

GOLOD! forget the impressive stats, just watch him live! kid has some skills
not out of left field either, he had 82 pts in 48 games in GTHL last yr.

I still firmly believe that Erie makes for a quick “London” like rebuild/retool IF
1) Sproule and a top 3/4 pick in 2018 draft pan out
2) We get a quality 2001 forward for Raddysh ---load up on picks inevitably as well with sell off trades
3) Schroeder and Hoffman report – Schroeder key here - or some other FA/college guy
4) we continue to find those late steals – Golod could be one, Shimizu maybe has that chance. Kischnick has high praise as American defender – and he already signed

lots of “ifs” but for the most part erie has a decent pool of talent in their system for not having any high picks for 4 years. I guarantee many “outside” fans or media people don’t see these things – they might see us as basement team for 4-5 yrs. actually, all things considered – the talent pool is there. the picks WILL be there assuming sell off trades this yr and next. Just a matter of landing 2/3 “stars” and that can be done in 2018 1st rounder, 2019 1st rounder, import? Schroeder? lots of work but positive signs

 

[buzzworthy]

Loved the effort this weekend. Both Guelph and Sudbury tried to physically intimidate the Otters. It didn't work. These guys are the real deal, and they play with snarl. Golod is going to be a beast. That line with Gritz and Robinson is pretty good. I was very disappointed in the Sunday attendance.

 

[NOA]

I was very disappointed in the Sunday attendance.

not sure what you expect - things could be much worse, look across the league. most teams have awful attendance on most or all nights..and those teams have the canadian fan advantage (hockey is like football but more in that country)

but beyond that - erie never does good with 1st half attendance, particularly on sundays. . Last year erie only played 2 home games on sunday (in feb and march) because of that. Sunday games are the worst of the worst in America for junior hockey or any hockey. Football is going to win EVERY TIME. Erie did 2 in 2014-15, games in Jan and March. This year we decided to have 7 games on sundays - mistake if you ask me (esecially when 4 are in first half of year). ut i think we are trying to avoid tue/wed/thur games

 

[EON]

The Otters have been great at home this season, I'm not sure why they're so much better as opposed to on the road. Hartsburg using last change effectively? Maybe it's just a comfort of home ice. Either way the team has looked good since the poor start. Some of the young guys have looked great and give the team some decent secondary scoring. The two I'm looking to improve more are Patry and Sproule but otherwise have been pleased with the performances, the Golod-Gritz-Robinson line especially. Wainman and Martin's development has also been huge for the back end.

 

[Lycanthrope]

Actually I thought the Otters looked rather ordinary yesterday with maybe the exception of Raddysh, especially considering the travel and short turn arounds for the Wolves. Timpano certainly didn't wow me and got lucky on more than one occasion. Even with the Wolves not generating much in the way of offence they were still in the game and should have crept to within one in the third on the puck that deflected of Rhoads shoulder before he made any motion with his arm. Would have made it 3-2 and even your're play by play guy thought it should have counted. Brutal blown call. You can also thank McGrath for basically mailing that one in. At least 3 of the four goals were bad!
Finally, according to one of our main posters, your'e play by play guy didn't know his mic was still live at the end of the game and said something to the extent of "I was just waiting for that idiot Pilon to do something stupid". I agree with our poster that if that's the case something should be done about it. Completely unacceptable, and ya brutal crowd by the way. Guess they're not used to not dominating the league anymore?

 

[EON]

Erie didn't have a great game offensively but it was also the third game of a 3 in 3 for them. The Wolves did virtually nothing offensively so I wasn't too concerned.

 

[buzzworthy]

Does anyone know the status of Headrick and Timmermans?