Hamilton Bulldogs 2018 Offseason Thread
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GobigorGohome
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Canadian Game
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Activity took a dive when HF did the site update. Many times pages are slow to load.
Hamilton loses 8-3 to the Petes. Fulcher was shelled.. as the team still refuses to give Donofrio starts and fatigue is starting to set in. With the team's lack of consistent scoring and another lackluster weekend (1 of 6 points, plus a tough schedule looming), how much more patient will Andlauer be before he starts cleaning house in the Bulldogs organization? It's bad enough that playing on that team kills draft stock, as previously mentioned in a recent article. And the team is struggling to stay out of the bottom tier of the East.. especially as some teams like Missy are starting to recover..
It's 14 games in now.. actions need to be taken, whether it be trades, benchings or coach firings.. this team is disappointing on the ice when they're supposed to be a Memorial Cup contender.
It's 14 games in now.. actions need to be taken, whether it be trades, benchings or coach firings.. this team is disappointing on the ice when they're supposed to be a Memorial Cup contender.
MoWanchuk1
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- Feb 18, 2017
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I think thats the problem the expectations put on them they arent a memorial cup contender and werent a memorial cup contender. thought of as a good team that could win a round or two in playoffs in my crowd
Problem is, the aim was to be a Memorial Cup contender by the time their lease was up in the 2017-18 season(1 year left in the AHL lease + 2 option years), and also expecting to encourage the City of Hamilton to pay for renovations to FirstOntario Centre or build a new arena so the Bulldogs would stay long term, plus to attract the Memorial Cup to Hamilton, which had been the expectation that they would be the winning bid, when they moved from Belleville.
Instead, the city's not going along with renovations, and the city's been blacklisted from hosting a Memorial Cup until the arena is up to CHL standards.. and there's been absolute silence from Andlauer on the team's future in Hamilton, with not even talk of lease extension.
And soon families will start pushing future draft picks not to report to Hamilton(if the team stays) if Staios stays the GM and the coaching staff isn't replaced, as draft stock dies in the Bulldogs organization.. look at Matthew Strome, who was a projected 1st Rounder, who ended up plunging to the 4th round due to poor development..
Teri's take on the weekend for the Bulldogs:
https://www.thespec.com/sports-stor...-3-losses/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_campaign=tm
https://www.thespec.com/sports-stor...-3-losses/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_campaign=tm
After watching North Bay, Belleville, Peterborough, and other old barns get renos--when is the city of Hamilton going to get off its butt and start negotiating with Andlauer on fixing up the aging FirstOntario Centre?
Oh, and the Bulldogs are last in the division after Kingston won..
Oh, and the Bulldogs are last in the division after Kingston won..
Windsor twice and Oshawa. With the team nearing the quarter-pole, hopefully the scoring comes around--or Staios' job(and possibly Gruden's as well) may be in jeopardy, as they have drafted poorly and they haven't developed the talent to be an elite team like they were supposed to. It's stupid that this team is last in offense when this year was to be the team that competed for the Memorial Cup.. and it's not making a good impression to the city for a lease extension (their lease, like Missy's, expires this season).
Fulcher in net (yet again). Seriously, does Gruden even trust Donofrio???
Starting lineup:
Bitten
Saigeon
Kaliyev
Gleason
Lemcke
G Kaden Fulcher
Starting lineup:
Bitten
Saigeon
Kaliyev
Gleason
Lemcke
G Kaden Fulcher
4-1 loss to the Spits.
Jake Murray gets his 1st OHL goal.. and Fulcher's SV% continues to dive.. when is Andlauer going to take action and fire Steve Staios and Gruden? It's ridiculous that after 3 years in Hamilton, this team is regressing.. when they were supposed to be a Memorial Cup contender this year.
Jack Hanley looks headed for a suspension.. he was tossed along with Logan Brown of the Spitfires on a pair of roughing penalties..
Jake Murray gets his 1st OHL goal.. and Fulcher's SV% continues to dive.. when is Andlauer going to take action and fire Steve Staios and Gruden? It's ridiculous that after 3 years in Hamilton, this team is regressing.. when they were supposed to be a Memorial Cup contender this year.
Jack Hanley looks headed for a suspension.. he was tossed along with Logan Brown of the Spitfires on a pair of roughing penalties..
OHLTG
Registered User
Hanley and Brown got 2/10 each for the incident. Basically, Hanley wanted to go Brown and had the gloves off, grabbing Brown's jersey. Brown had no interest but obliged. Maybe a punch was thrown but nothing landed. They wrestled for a bit before Brown laughed and said enough. He didn't care in the least. I doubt there are any suspensions, no reason for one.
I am a sort of fan but there is not much to cheer. They went with a bunch of older players who have proven in the past they are not good enough. Their drafting is totally uninspired. There is no real identity to this team--not fast, not intimidating, just" old ". Not much to look forward to next year either unless someone sprinkles some fairy dust.
Andlauer needs to sign a new lease to FirstOntario if there is even going to be a next year in Hamilton, and so far, nothing.. especially with the city refusing to give money to upgrade an aging FirstOntario Centre, as they kicked the can down the road last spring--and we saw what happened in the city this team left before they came to Hamilton (and that city has since gotten an AHL team after a $20.5M renovation to their arena--the same league the Bulldogs dropped out of because the Habs wanted their team closer and wanted to stop losing money in Hamilton).
But yes, the future is fairly bleak for the Bulldogs.
Fulcher's gone, potentially 4 to 6 D-men likely gone due to graduation, Bitten and Studenic likely gone as well, Strome and Entwistle's development has stalled and even has regressed, and it wouldn't shock me if their NHL clubs demand them get traded out of Hamilton..
And I expect Gruden and Staios to be fired at season's end, if not as early as the World Juniors.. things need to change now. Not later.. all of the guys who were left over when they were in Belleville are gone--it's now Staios' team, and as it's showing, he's doing a horrible job running the club.
Canadian Game
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I'm going to be totally honest and blunt. Are you a fan of the Bulldogs? Do you want the Bulldogs to succeed? Do you watch the games in their entirety, or do you base opinions on reviewing box scores, stats, watching highlights, and reading articles?
The reason I ask is because you've been beating the same dead horse over and over without offering constructive criticism, which is very tiresome, and in my opinion, trolling. Your posts are all doom and gloom like it's the end of the world for the Bulldogs and Hamilton. Even during good stretches, the negatives are thrown in the spotlight while the positives can be found as often as Big Foot. Many times I wonder if you don't even watch the games in full. Instead I've had the impressions that you've been disgruntled since Gord Simmonds sold the team and they moved to Hamilton, and that you want to watch the team burn.
Generally fans still point out positives (in addition to constructive criticism) during the ups and down. Meanwhile, people who are pessimistic and full of negativity lose interest and move on to something else that brings joy.
I cannot speak for anyone else but I saw some of training camp, the intrasquad game, see a few games each year-not as many as I would like due to personal reasons-and catch most of the games on local tv. I cheered for the junior red wings, the tiger cubs, fin cups, steel hawks etc. etc. and I cheer for the local team. This team tries to win on systems and seems to draft to fit the system. There is no flair. no joy in playing--which is what I always really like in junior hockey. I liked the idea of a local guy-Staios in charge, and an experienced coach in Gruden. So I am disappointed. My 2 cents for what that is worth....
Look, this is supposed to be a Memorial Cup contender. They shoud be at the top of the standings right now, as they had planned to be by 2017-18--but unfortunately Staios' poor drafting and development(or lack thereof) is beginning to show. No longer can this team coast on leftover Belleville players like Petti and Luff as they've graduated to the AHL--it's Staios' team now.
The only reason I follow this team is Matthew Strome(I'm a friend of their family plus one of their relatives is one of my co-workers)--and his regression this season, along with the rest of the roster, I'm not happy with. He should be in his prime right now--fingers need to be pointed at the coaching staff.
Without a guy like Petti, this team's offense has plummeted--instead of getting help, they chose to keep OA d-men and trade for what they claim is "championship experience" (see TJ Fergus)..
I have been keeping an eye on the team online and on the radio broadcasts.. but how can there be any positivity when the team is DEAD last(2.4 goals/game) in offense in all of the CHL (not just the OHL). Fulcher's been your only savior so far.. but he's even starting to struggle due to bad D and just plain overuse, especially considering Gruden won't give Donofrio a start when Fulcher is looking gassed..
I'd like to see the team win and Matthew win a title like his bro Dylan--but the culture needs to change.
The only reason I follow this team is Matthew Strome(I'm a friend of their family plus one of their relatives is one of my co-workers)--and his regression this season, along with the rest of the roster, I'm not happy with. He should be in his prime right now--fingers need to be pointed at the coaching staff.
Without a guy like Petti, this team's offense has plummeted--instead of getting help, they chose to keep OA d-men and trade for what they claim is "championship experience" (see TJ Fergus)..
I have been keeping an eye on the team online and on the radio broadcasts.. but how can there be any positivity when the team is DEAD last(2.4 goals/game) in offense in all of the CHL (not just the OHL). Fulcher's been your only savior so far.. but he's even starting to struggle due to bad D and just plain overuse, especially considering Gruden won't give Donofrio a start when Fulcher is looking gassed..
I'd like to see the team win and Matthew win a title like his bro Dylan--but the culture needs to change.
Canadian Game
Registered User
Don't get me wrong, I can understand anyone being frustrated right now. I am as well. There's a lot that needs improvement. The gripe I posted was that digiblader tends to be extremely negative even when the team is on a high. It honestly seems like he's trolling rather than contributing.
There's a lot of things things that I feel needs improvement at all levels. During this skid, some players have generally been decent but there are some who need to step up. More importantly though, Gruden comes up with a lot of questionable line combinations (3-4 rookie forwards with a vet D playing PP or PK), coaches have defence playing their off-sides during PP and dmen try to swap sides after face-offs (wasting valuable PP time), winning faceoffs are an issue, and more. Equally as important (GM-Staios), we have 4 OA defence and no stability in the lineup to let players build chemistry when Templeton, Walters, and McCourt (not an OA) are swapped in and out of lineups nightly. Staois should have reduced the OA's to 3 a while ago because 2 are distracted about their job security. Ideally, I think the Bulldogs could benefit with an OA forward (preferably a faceoff specialist and/or sniper) but that means that 2 OA dmen would have to go. Lemcke is the team's top defender, the closest to being a back-end quarterback, and is the only enforcer remaining (when needed). Walters is a reliable stay-at-home D and shot blocker. Additionally, it seems that most of the awful games have happened when Walters was scratched. Fergus is likely here for the season as he was just acquired. Generally responsible (except for some passes), has more playoff experience than the team combined. Templeton (a Dman) seems like the main off man out as he is often plugged on 4th line. If another OA is moved before him, this team is in more trouble. Generally a team making a big run, which Staios previously said was the plan for 2017-18, has an older roster. Instead this team has a mix of older and very young guys, and less forward depth and chemistry than last year.
Oshawa/Hamilton tonight. Gennies just came off getting their heads bashed in by the Otters, losing 8-0.. can the Bulldogs take advantage? Hopefully Donofrio gets a start tonight, especially considering they have a back to back.
All the drafted ‘97-‘99 born players were by Branch & Burnett. I thought replacing Burnett with Staios was a mistake; but, Burnett’s fingerprints are still all over this team as there have been only been two years of Staios’ drafts.
Anyways, with the addition of a big point producer, the bulldogs can be as good as predicted prior to the start of the season.
Anyways, with the addition of a big point producer, the bulldogs can be as good as predicted prior to the start of the season.
cub
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- Apr 11, 2012
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foghorn
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- Nov 4, 2017
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Even if Burnett drafted some of these players--Hamilton's development system is lacking. Especially when even the 99s are struggling.. with Zach Jackson, Matt Strome, Mackenzie Entwistle and Reilly Webb showing little sign of progress..Isaac Nurse and possibly Arthur Kaliyev have been the only bright spot. Any many of the players on the Bulldogs weren't even drafted by Burnett--many were from trades, like Bitten, that Staios did.
Really, fingers needed to be pointed at Staios and Gruden(and the other coaches in the Bulldogs organization).. not Burnett or Branch.
Really, fingers needed to be pointed at Staios and Gruden(and the other coaches in the Bulldogs organization).. not Burnett or Branch.
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