Hamilton Bulldogs & Wheeling Nailers 2014-2015 Part 4

[Analyzer*]

This, based on a single injury plagued season.

When he did play it wasn't well.

It's not like his chances are now none. He played well last night, however, McCarron played well last year and sucked for most of the season when returned to the OHL.

Dietz needs to have a solid season this year in the AHL, a great season next and then he'll be a callup for the 3rd season.

 

[DogsFan*]

This, based on a single injury plagued season.

No kidding. I know for a fact that the Habs are high on both Dietz and Bennett. They were asking Bennett to forego his last season in the NCAA to turn pro. Some of the player evaluations in this thread are just dumb. Makes me wonder if some of you even watch these guys before you come here and call them career AHLers or busts, etc.

 

[Analyzer*]

No kidding. I know for a fact that the Habs are high on both Dietz and Bennett. They were asking Bennett to forego his last season in the NCAA to turn pro. Some of the player evaluations in this thread are just dumb. Makes me wonder if some of you even watch these guys before you come here and call them career AHLers or busts, etc.

I'm not sure if you're claiming to have inside information on this, or not.

 

[DogsFan*]

It wasn't an insider secret. Bennett said it in an interview.

 

[Analyzer*]

It wasn't an insider secret. Bennett said it in an interview.

Yeah, he quickly said no because he was going to be made the captain.

 

[DogsFan*]

Yeah, he quickly said no because he was going to be made the captain.

Which is totally understandable. College athletics are a big thing in the states. Being named captain of the Wolverines is not something that would be easy to pass up to come play in Hamilton.

 

[Wats]

This years Dogs team is going to be really good on paper, especially if Habs sign Bowman. If Lefebvre manages to tank with this team as well, pretty clear there's a problem.

 

[WeThreeKings]

Dietz looked incredible last night. Hope he keeps improving.

 

[LastWordArmy]

This years Dogs team is going to be really good on paper, especially if Habs sign Bowman. If Lefebvre manages to tank with this team as well, pretty clear there's a problem.

Better than last year sure... but not sure they have the offence up the middle. Hensick is the #1 and thats good.

Who is the number 2 centre who provides offence in the AHL? I don't know.

 

[EveryDay]

Better than last year sure... but not sure they have the offence up the middle. Hensick is the #1 and thats good.

Who is the number 2 centre who provides offence in the AHL? I don't know.

Ghetto or Hudon?

 

[montreal]

Where did his brother end up signing? (Other Czarnik)

Austin is a Senior this year, he will be teammates of Hab prospect Colin Sullivan in the NCHC conference.

Thrower, while a hard nosed tough player has the potential to be a number 6, or 7. His progress could change, but I wouldn't count on it.

Dietz hasn't shown much in the AHL and won't have an easy chance to get playing time in order to do so.

With Thrower's offensive game, I see his upside as higher then a 6th or 7th, but for me I really like to wait until I see how they adjust to the move up the AHL as I don't put too much stock in what they do in junior/ushs/ushl, so we'll see what the future holds for Thrower. Missing camp/preseason though is not the start you want so we don't know what impact it will have on him.

Dietz did struggle in Hamilton but it's hard to really take much away from his play as the missed so much time so that had to make things a lot tougher on the rookie. I know Hamilton's blueline could be a crowded one but I don't see why he won't get playing time as there's a lot to like if he can put it all together.

It's not like his chances are now none. He played well last night, however, McCarron played well last year and sucked for most of the season when returned to the OHL.

Dietz needs to have a solid season this year in the AHL, a great season next and then he'll be a callup for the 3rd season.

Just to be clear, McCarron actually played very well when sent down to the OHL, just that then he got injured and came back quickly only to look completely different. From there he struggled to get back on track but as the season wore on I thought he showed good improvement over really poor play in the 1st half sans the first week in the ohl. But not sure what this has to do with dietz anyway.

No kidding. I know for a fact that the Habs are high on both Dietz and Bennett. They were asking Bennett to forego his last season in the NCAA to turn pro. Some of the player evaluations in this thread are just dumb. Makes me wonder if some of you even watch these guys before you come here and call them career AHLers or busts, etc.

I'm sure they do like Bennett as his mobility is top notch and he's a smart, hard working two way puck moving D, but I wouldn't read too much into wanting to sign him last year since the Habs had to try to sign him due to the NCAA loop hole as Bennett could have opted out and become a UFA if he chose.

This years Dogs team is going to be really good on paper, especially if Habs sign Bowman. If Lefebvre manages to tank with this team as well, pretty clear there's a problem.

That depends on how the roster shakes out, as a long time AHL fan, rosters don't mean much in September with waivers/injuries/trades/etc... I would be surprised if Bowman would agree to go to Hamilton but that would be the kind of addition that could help get the offense turned around. There's so many question marks as to who the Dogs will end up with, but it would take a lot for me to concede that the Dogs look really good on paper as their offense is like a black hole that just sucks all the fun and joy out of life, so will the coaching staff be able to finally get the offense going?

 

[Analyzer*]

With Thrower's offensive game, I see his upside as higher then a 6th or 7th, but for me I really like to wait until I see how they adjust to the move up the AHL as I don't put too much stock in what they do in junior/ushs/ushl, so we'll see what the future holds for Thrower. Missing camp/preseason though is not the start you want so we don't know what impact it will have on him.

That it is not. I'm not trying to say that Dietz, Thrower, or Bennett have absolutely no shot. However, the way they've been progressing would say their shot is limited. Then again, Sekac came over, wasn't drafted and now he seems to be a really good player.

Dietz did struggle in Hamilton but it's hard to really take much away from his play as the missed so much time so that had to make things a lot tougher on the rookie. I know Hamilton's blueline could be a crowded one but I don't see why he won't get playing time as there's a lot to like if he can put it all together.

Dietz's play in the pre-season could earn him a guaranteed spot on the dogs blueline. You also have to remember who's down there and how he'll likely play veteran AHLers over guys who still have a chance to improve to NHL calibre.

Just to be clear, McCarron actually played very well when sent down to the OHL, just that then he got injured and came back quickly only to look completely different. From there he struggled to get back on track but as the season wore on I thought he showed good improvement over really poor play in the 1st half sans the first week in the ohl. But not sure what this has to do with dietz anyway.

McCarron was just an example of looking good in the pre-season then not being able to continue that in a lower league.

As for Mac Bennett, I think I saw 1 of his games, so can't really say he's got no shot, or a great shot at making it, but all you have to do is look around the NHL and see how many defensive dman there are at 6'0. That will give you an indication that he has to really excel at something.

 

[montreal]

That it is not. I'm not trying to say that Dietz, Thrower, or Bennett have absolutely no shot. However, the way they've been progressing would say their shot is limited. Then again, Sekac came over, wasn't drafted and now he seems to be a really good player.



Dietz's play in the pre-season could earn him a guaranteed spot on the dogs blueline. You also have to remember who's down there and how he'll likely play veteran AHLers over guys who still have a chance to improve to NHL calibre.



McCarron was just an example of looking good in the pre-season then not being able to continue that in a lower league.

As for Mac Bennett, I think I saw 1 of his games, so can't really say he's got no shot, or a great shot at making it, but all you have to do is look around the NHL and see how many defensive dman there are at 6'0. That will give you an indication that he has to really excel at something.

I don't agree that the way Bennett, Thrower and Dietz have been progressing means their shot is limited, Thrower had a tough year two seasons ago but I still like what I've seen from him and the other two. Injuries can really get in the way of progress so we'll see how Dietz responds this season and how it effects Thrower. Bennett is so smart, I wouldn't read too much into his NCAA numbers as Michigan's program took a big hit and they really struggled to score goals at times.

I would just wait until we see how they do in the AHL before limiting their upside and future potential but to each his own. Granted most prospects don't make it so leaning towards prospects not making is often the safe bet, so while you may end up being correct on all 3 as each might never do anything in the NHL, it's the way you casually write off their futures and upside.


At this point we'll need to see just who is in Hamilton, but I would be surprised if Dietz wasn't a regular in the top 6 easily.


For McCarron, who knows what would have happened had he not gotten injured, as he seemed to carry over his good play from preseason and the lake placid camp but then he gets injured and everything goes to hell. That's why I like to look at things as a case by case basis, McCarron's struggles last year have nothing to do with Dietz.


Bennett is a puck moving D, but being 6'0 shouldn't mean anything, I never look at height personally, when looking at someone's NHL future.

 

[EveryDay]

Dan Kramer @DanKramerHabs · 12 min
However @BulldogsAHL list #Habs Macenauer as on an AHL deal instead of PTO, so announcement of signing should be coming (or it's an error).

 

[Whitesnake]

Strange to have signed Macenauer and not have had him in any camp before the Dogs camp.

So no room for Locke, but one for Macenauer.....big fail.

 

[Fazkovsky]

I agree its weird but macenauer can atleast be a decent 4th or 3rd liner with the dogs but i know he has been used in the top 6. It's better then having garbage like Owens, Courtnall, Czarnik and alot of others ECHL bound guys. The roster is much more skilled and younger.

 

[QuebecPride]

Throwing this out there, but maybe Locke wasn't invited because he's not a player you want around your prospects. I know for a fact that Chouinard is screwed on straight and is a good leader. So maybe the approach Bergevin has with the farm club is that he wants good vets with the youngsters, not just ones that will carry the load offensively, but ones that will set good examples for the kids.

Now I don't know about Locke, but some posters on here might know. How was Locke considered as a teammate in Junior or with the Dogs? Is he always intense in practices? The answer might lay there too. IIRC, Hensick was the captain for Texas in the AHL last year. And previous to that, Martin St-Pierre was the captain of the Hawks' farm team. Finley also strikes me as a pretty good veteran to have around the kids. Maybe that's the trend the team wants to take with the Dogs, they don't want the best scoring vets, they want the best vets, period.

On another aspect, I've heard the media(RDS/TVAsports) talk about Lefebvre since the camp started. Seems it's the make it or break it year for him, at least from what the media know. He will certainly have more firepower on hand to ice a better team, and better results are expected. Personally, I don't look at the standings to evaluate the job of a farm team coach, but I know a lot of you guys do, and I thought some of y'all might be happy know that Lefebvre is on the hot seat this year.

 

[S Bah]

Which is totally understandable. College athletics are a big thing in the states. Being named captain of the Wolverines is not something that would be easy to pass up to come play in Hamilton.

I've watched Mac play on numerous occasions, his skating and puck handling are his best qualities, along with being a leader, (Capt), and his desire to follow his family into the NHL. When he straps on skates for the Habs, it will be the 3rd generation of the Bennett's to play in the NHL.

This years Dogs team is going to be really good on paper, especially if Habs sign Bowman. If Lefebvre manages to tank with this team as well, pretty clear there's a problem.

Yes the lineup does look good on paper, the Bulldogs will be better offensively with the influx of prospects & NCAA grads.

Dietz looked incredible last night. Hope he keeps improving.

I think last season was pretty much a write off for him, he's capable of playing much better IMHO.

That depends on how the roster shakes out, as a long time AHL fan, rosters don't mean much in September with waivers/injuries/trades/etc... I would be surprised if Bowman would agree to go to Hamilton but that would be the kind of addition that could help get the offense turned around. There's so many question marks as to who the Dogs will end up with, but it would take a lot for me to concede that the Dogs look really good on paper as their offense is like a black hole that just sucks all the fun and joy out of life, so will the coaching staff be able to finally get the offense going?

The Bulldogs depth of quality prospects has improved dramatically IMHO, that combined with playing a puck possession game, which should be the case. Bergevin likes his farm team to mirror the Habs, so I'm expecting Lefebvre & Lebeau to take the offence to far better use, it promises to be a far more exciting brand of hockey in Hamilton & Montreal, IMHO.

I don't agree that the way Bennett, Thrower and Dietz have been progressing means their shot is limited, Thrower had a tough year two seasons ago but I still like what I've seen from him and the other two. Injuries can really get in the way of progress so we'll see how Dietz responds this season and how it effects Thrower. Bennett is so smart, I wouldn't read too much into his NCAA numbers as Michigan's program took a big hit and they really struggled to score goals at times.

I would just wait until we see how they do in the AHL before limiting their upside and future potential but to each his own. Granted most prospects don't make it so leaning towards prospects not making is often the safe bet, so while you may end up being correct on all 3 as each might never do anything in the NHL, it's the way you casually write off their futures and upside.


At this point we'll need to see just who is in Hamilton, but I would be surprised if Dietz wasn't a regular in the top 6 easily.


For McCarron, who knows what would have happened had he not gotten injured, as he seemed to carry over his good play from preseason and the lake placid camp but then he gets injured and everything goes to hell. That's why I like to look at things as a case by case basis, McCarron's struggles last year have nothing to do with Dietz.


Bennett is a puck moving D, but being 6'0 shouldn't mean anything, I never look at height personally, when looking at someone's NHL future.

As you say Montreal, every case is different and those that have watched masses of hockey from most of our prospects, realize injuries and being on weak teams(Mac Bennett)had lots to do with how these players developed or not. A new season is starting and I believe some of our prospects that have been maligned here, will surprise many fans that haven't seen them too often. Thanks for all your insights, Montreal as usual they are dead on IMHO.

Throwing this out there, but maybe Locke wasn't invited because he's not a player you want around your prospects. I know for a fact that Chouinard is screwed on straight and is a good leader. So maybe the approach Bergevin has with the farm club is that he wants good vets with the youngsters, not just ones that will carry the load offensively, but ones that will set good examples for the kids.

Now I don't know about Locke, but some posters on here might know. How was Locke considered as a teammate in Junior or with the Dogs? Is he always intense in practices? The answer might lay there too. IIRC, Hensick was the captain for Texas in the AHL last year. And previous to that, Martin St-Pierre was the captain of the Hawks' farm team. Finley also strikes me as a pretty good veteran to have around the kids. Maybe that's the trend the team wants to take with the Dogs, they don't want the best scoring vets, they want the best vets, period.

On another aspect, I've heard the media(RDS/TVAsports) talk about Lefebvre since the camp started. Seems it's the make it or break it year for him, at least from what the media know. He will certainly have more firepower on hand to ice a better team, and better results are expected. Personally, I don't look at the standings to evaluate the job of a farm team coach, but I know a lot of you guys do, and I thought some of y'all might be happy know that Lefebvre is on the hot seat this year.

Like you say QuebecPride, Bergevin wants his prospects learning & playing with positive veterans with great work ethics, character and passion for the game. Which is why we as fans can always count on a full effort from our players, whether they play in the ECHL, AHL, or NHL. I'm looking forward to watching a very different Bulldog team that takes the game to it's opposition, instead of the boring fallback strategies, which came with Jacques Martin when he was the Habs coach.

 

[montreal]

I agree its weird but macenauer can atleast be a decent 4th or 3rd liner with the dogs but i know he has been used in the top 6. It's better then having garbage like Owens, Courtnall, Czarnik and alot of others ECHL bound guys. The roster is much more skilled and younger.

I hate the signing, as the team overused him because he works hard and is solid in his own end. Imo he had no business being on the PP or getting such quality ice time, granted we'll see how the coaching staff handles him but for a team that has had the worst offense in the AHL over the last 2 years, I would have gone a different route. Also I don't know if this roster will be much more skilled, we need to see how it shakes out first but I'm certainly not expecting a big jump in offense.

Throwing this out there, but maybe Locke wasn't invited because he's not a player you want around your prospects. I know for a fact that Chouinard is screwed on straight and is a good leader. So maybe the approach Bergevin has with the farm club is that he wants good vets with the youngsters, not just ones that will carry the load offensively, but ones that will set good examples for the kids.

I'm sure that's the case as management clearly likes to add character players. As for watching the standings, I don't care as much about winning as I do watching the games. Every season I try to watch every Dogs game but the past two years have been downright painful to watch, it's often just terrible hockey to watch, which is why I get so pissed off at the current coaching staff. Imo they make very questionable decisions on who gets the quality ice time, which I assume they are trying to send a message that you have to work for your ice time, which I agree with but when your PP just skates around and has no clue what to do and most nights the offense just has no cohesion and often looks disjointed.

I'm glad he's on the hot seat if true, if it were me he would have been fired after the first season. It was so bad last year I just started turning the games off as I would get feed up of watching them struggle to create any offense. But they do work hard.

The Bulldogs depth of quality prospects has improved dramatically IMHO, that combined with playing a puck possession game, which should be the case. Bergevin likes his farm team to mirror the Habs, so I'm expecting Lefebvre & Lebeau to take the offence to far better use, it promises to be a far more exciting brand of hockey in Hamilton & Montreal, IMHO.

As you say Montreal, every case is different and those that have watched masses of hockey from most of our prospects, realize injuries and being on weak teams(Mac Bennett)had lots to do with how these players developed or not. A new season is starting and I believe some of our prospects that have been maligned here, will surprise many fans that haven't seen them too often. Thanks for all your insights, Montreal as usual they are dead on IMHO.

I don't agree that the quality of the prospects have improved, imo they are about the same since the Dogs have had good incoming rookie classes in the past under Timmins. I've been following the Dogs since they moved to Hamilton and without a doubt that's the worst Hamilton team I've seen so far.

I'm sure you are expecting the Dogs coaching staff to take the offense to far better use, but I'm also sure you said the same thing this time last year. I hope it's the case and they did improve the offense, going from 30th to 29th is a step up I guess but hopefully they can do a lot better then that if they want to make the playoffs.

 

[Guilliam]

They'll be better than last year, if only because Mayer is gone ;-) So the goaltending will be better.

Offensively, Thomas should have a much better season, Andrighetto should keep improving, and Hensick can do at least as well as St-Pierre did last year. Dumont didn't have a great season last year either so he could do better.

The other losses are no biggies : Leblanc, Naatinen, Courtnall, Quailer/Czarnik, Tarnasky. Only Blunden might be missed a bit.

They'll be replaced by Dowell, Sorkin, maybe Bowman, DLR, Hudon, and Crisp. I expect Hudon to already be at the level of a good top-6 in the AHL. DLR might be at that level too.

So I think the offense will be improved a bit compared to last season.

As for the D, I guess we'll have to wait and see if one or two of Beaulieu, Tinordi, Pateryn and Drewiske are sent back down. If two of them go down, coupled with improved play by Dietz, a full year of Nygren, and then Ellis, Bennett, Thrower, Finley, Makowski and Shea, we should be able to ice a good defensive unit.

So all-in-all, I think the dogs might compete for a playoff spot. Depending on how bad the coaching staff screw things up...

 

[Blind Gardien]

...
As for the D, I guess we'll have to wait and see if one or two of Beaulieu, Tinordi, Pateryn and Drewiske are sent back down. If two of them go down, coupled with improved play by Dietz, a full year of Nygren, and then Ellis, Bennett, Thrower, Finley, Makowski and Shea, we should be able to ice a good defensive unit.
...

Say, have we yet heard anything about Nygren's willingness to play in Hamilton? I confess I expected him to look better in the pre-season games, and even secretly hoped he could push for a spot on the big club, but... it wasn't close. That said, given how things went last year, do we have reason to think he's okay with playing in Hamilton this year?

 

[DekeLikeYouMeanIt]

Can't wait to see the rookies score their first goals and all that fun stuff.

 

[Guilliam]

Say, have we yet heard anything about Nygren's willingness to play in Hamilton? I confess I expected him to look better in the pre-season games, and even secretly hoped he could push for a spot on the big club, but... it wasn't close. That said, given how things went last year, do we have reason to think he's okay with playing in Hamilton this year?

All I know is that he doesn't have a contract in Sweden and Therien said it's Montreal or Hamilton for him. Nygren also tried to say that his comments from last year were blown out of proportion or something like that...

So I guess there is still a possibility that he leaves but I expect him to stay. Maybe with DLR also there, it could help. He also has to know that pulling this crap a second year in a row would probably ruin his chances to ever play in the NHL.

 

[montreal]

Say, have we yet heard anything about Nygren's willingness to play in Hamilton? I confess I expected him to look better in the pre-season games, and even secretly hoped he could push for a spot on the big club, but... it wasn't close. That said, given how things went last year, do we have reason to think he's okay with playing in Hamilton this year?

from everything I heard he's going to play in Hamilton, as he has no choice in the matter since he's under contract. Should be interesting to see how he does in a full season, he looked good in the short time he was there last year and the Dogs sorely need that booming point shot on the PP.

They'll be better than last year, if only because Mayer is gone ;-) So the goaltending will be better.

Offensively, Thomas should have a much better season, Andrighetto should keep improving, and Hensick can do at least as well as St-Pierre did last year. Dumont didn't have a great season last year either so he could do better.

The other losses are no biggies : Leblanc, Naatinen, Courtnall, Quailer/Czarnik, Tarnasky. Only Blunden might be missed a bit.

They'll be replaced by Dowell, Sorkin, maybe Bowman, DLR, Hudon, and Crisp. I expect Hudon to already be at the level of a good top-6 in the AHL. DLR might be at that level too.

So I think the offense will be improved a bit compared to last season.

As for the D, I guess we'll have to wait and see if one or two of Beaulieu, Tinordi, Pateryn and Drewiske are sent back down. If two of them go down, coupled with improved play by Dietz, a full year of Nygren, and then Ellis, Bennett, Thrower, Finley, Makowski and Shea, we should be able to ice a good defensive unit.

So all-in-all, I think the dogs might compete for a playoff spot. Depending on how bad the coaching staff screw things up...

lol at the Mayer comment, I agree 100% Also I like how you go out on a limb and say the offense will be improved a bit compared to last season, since they finished 29th they can just about only go up from here.

now that Thomas is healthy, hopefully he does have a good year as he was a major disappointment last season as he looked terrible many nights (but that shot is just sick) Andrighetto was one of the few players last year that looked like he knew what he was doing with the puck in the offensive zone, so I expect big things from him this season as he was very impressive on such an offensively challenged team. I hope Holland is another one that turns it around after a very disappointing season.

Hensick it's tougher to say since he's a playmaker first so he needs someone to burry the puck. I'd put him with Thomas and see what they can do together. As for players they might miss, Blunden sadly was easily one of their best players but hopefully the rookies will step up as well.

I am looking forward to seeing what Hudon, DLR, Crisp, Bozon, Carr and the rest of the rookies do, as a strong showing from this class could be the push that gets the Dogs offense going as imo they will never make the playoffs if they don't figure out a way to get the PP going and the offense in general (I don't know what they do in practice but for 2 years to be so bad offensively and not have come up with any solutions doesn't leave me with a warm feeling for this season).

The D should be the strength, but we'll need to see just who's there, either way they are deep there and have a number of interesting D prospects. The goaltending will also be interesting if they get Tok back, although if I were running the Habs there's no way I would keep Budaj but the current owners might not like paying 2M for Budaj and Drewiske to play in the AHL so we'll see how that works out.

 

[LastWordArmy]

Nygren tries to explain the infamous interview to Hamilton Reporters.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamil...ll-shoot-people-for-100-in-hamilton-1.2782598

Tries the its google translate messing my words up defence - fails
then tries the the press misquoted me strategy... and oh lets forget about it, its a new year strategy.