Hershey (AHL) and South Carolina (ECHL) 2016-17 Season

[hb12xchamps]

Copley will miss game 5 and is considered day to day which is amazing considering that reaction to the injury looked horrific.

Gilbert and Vrana skated this morning and will be evaluated to see if they can play

 

[Brian23]

So wait. Is Vrana hurt or has he been a healthy scratch...? Also has Bowey been that bad? See he got demoted about and Djoos was promoted. Same with Siegenthaler.

 

[Hivemind]

So wait. Is Vrana hurt or has he been a healthy scratch...? Also has Bowey been that bad? See he got demoted about and Djoos was promoted. Same with Siegenthaler.

Vrana was a healthy scratch previously, but now seems to be suffering from an upper body injury.

 

[ovikovy817]

Happy for Bowey for the OT winner.

 

[hb12xchamps]

So wait. Is Vrana hurt or has he been a healthy scratch...? Also has Bowey been that bad? See he got demoted about and Djoos was promoted. Same with Siegenthaler.

Vrana is injured with an upper body injury and skated before yesterday's game. I would assume that he is close to game ready and might rejoin the lineup tomorrow night.

Ton Gilbert returned to the lineup last night and played well. He was out with an upper body injury (probably a concussion) after taking a high hit from Tyler Randell of the Bruins. Randell was later suspended.

Copley is day to day with a lower body injury suffered in game 4. Vanecek stepped in and started yesterday's game and was phenomenal. He made some very very athletic saves that kept the Bears in the game and was their best penalty killer

Bowey was criticized in the first round for not playing well. He was a healthy scratch in the first round and the first game of the Providence series. I think a lot of that was due to him not having his skating legs while also playing with a full face visor. In round 1 he took the visor off for his regular visor between periods and has played with a regular visor this entire round. He has been a lot better this round.

As far as Djoos goes, he was never "promoted" because he's been on the top pairing for most of the year and has first unit PP duties.

Siegenthaler hasn't been a difference maker and hasn't stood out. I would be surprised at this point if he makes it into another game with everyone healthy. You also have to factor in that Mann wants to give Lucas Johansen in the lineup at some point.

 

[hb12xchamps]

Providence scored 4 unanswered to bear Hershey 4-2. Vitek was in net and had a pretty decent game. He definitely kept the Bears in it again since they were outshot. The Bears dominated the 1st period and made some terrible mental mistakes in the 2nd.

Game 7 tomorrow night in Hershey

 

[ovikovy817]

Round 2, game 7, sound familiar .

 

[Langway]

Vrana back for Game 7.

 

[strungout]

Bye bye Bears

 

[hb12xchamps]

Bears gave it their best effort. As Mann eluded to in his post game presser, that Bears team just looked tired. He tried to get them going by switching up lines and D pairs but they just couldn't skate with Providence. Kudos to Providence for coming back and taking the series. Will be an interesting offseason. I could see a lot of the AHL only (non prospects) guys moving on. I'll do a little rundown this week when I get some time.

 

[John Price]

https://www.russianmachineneverbrea...-despite-no-longer-being-in-the-organization/

Despite being a decade removed from coaching the Hershey Bears, former bench boss Bruce Boudreau is still enamored with the team and the area that helped make him a star.
Tuesday night at Giant Center, Boudreau was shown on the jumbotron during Game Six of the Hershey Bears’ second-round series against the Providence Bruins. Boudreau, wearing a Bears home jersey, had a special message for his old team.

 

[Langway]

Vrana had one early setup of Barber after Barber scored but that was it. Bowey put on one of the biggest hits I've ever seen at the AHL level stepping up on Acciari after the two had been going at it earlier in the shift. Acciari didn't return.

I'm not sure if Ness has been playing hurt but he wasn't good in this series. He got beat on a lot of goals.

If Trotz sticks around I'd guess he was probably most impressed with Stephenson and maybe Barber. Boyd and Djoos should get looks in camp due to waiver status and so should O'Brien, who I thought should have played more this series to combat some of Providence's size vs. either Ryan Bourque or Gazley. It also seemed a bit strange playing Mitchell with Chris Bourque. I wonder how severe Copley's injury is and whether that could impact any plan to promote him next season.

The Bears were outplayed in most every game this series but to lose two attempts at closing it out at home is pretty disappointing.

 

[hb12xchamps]

Vrana had one early setup of Barber after Barber scored but that was it. Bowey put on one of the biggest hits I've ever seen at the AHL level stepping up on Acciari after the two had been going at it earlier in the shift. Acciari didn't return.

I'm not sure if Ness has been playing hurt but he wasn't good in this series. He got beat on a lot of goals.

If Trotz sticks around I'd guess he was probably most impressed with Stephenson and maybe Barber. Boyd and Djoos should get looks in camp due to waiver status and so should O'Brien, who I thought should have played more this series to combat some of Providence's size vs. either Ryan Bourque or Gazley. It also seemed a bit strange playing Mitchell with Chris Bourque. I wonder how severe Copley's injury is and whether that could impact any plan to promote him next season.

The Bears were outplayed in most every game this series but to lose two attempts at closing it out at home is pretty disappointing.

Pretty much spot on with everything. Ness had a rough year all around due to injuries. I don't think he was 100% after suffering an ankle injury in the first round. Bowey's hit was incredible. You could tell he was fed up dealing with that little rat Acciari.

A line of Bourque-Stephenson-Mitchell was used a lot this season and it always seemed to be awkward. I never got putting Mitchell higher up in the lineup when he could have been used to shutdown a top line with Zach Sill.

Spot on on O'Brien. He worked on his overall game and was probably the 2nd most improved player besides Djoos. He should have been in the lineup for one of Ry. Bourque/Gazley who essentially are the same player.

The Bears had said that Copley was day to day and Mann acted like he might have come back in the next series. We should know more on that in the coming days.

I liked Gilbert, but he clearly wasn't the same after that hit from Randell that probably gave him a concussion. He should have sat longer because he was horrible in games 6 and 7

 

[John Price]

Pretty much spot on with everything. Ness had a rough year all around due to injuries. I don't think he was 100% after suffering an ankle injury in the first round. Bowey's hit was incredible. You could tell he was fed up dealing with that little rat Acciari.

A line of Bourque-Stephenson-Mitchell was used a lot this season and it always seemed to be awkward. I never got putting Mitchell higher up in the lineup when he could have been used to shutdown a top line with Zach Sill.

Spot on on O'Brien. He worked on his overall game and was probably the 2nd most improved player besides Djoos. He should have been in the lineup for one of Ry. Bourque/Gazley who essentially are the same player.

The Bears had said that Copley was day to day and Mann acted like he might have come back in the next series. We should know more on that in the coming days.

I liked Gilbert, but he clearly wasn't the same after that hit from Randell that probably gave him a concussion. He should have sat longer because he was horrible in games 6 and 7

Out of curiosity if the Caps decide to go in a younger direction in 2017-18 who do you see being called up? I know Guentzel was playing with WBS and was called up by the Penguins, now he's lighting it up.

 

[hb12xchamps]

Out of curiosity if the Caps decide to go in a younger direction in 2017-18 who do you see being called up? I know Guentzel was playing with WBS and was called up by the Penguins, now he's lighting it up.

All depends on the offseason with the expansion draft and roster decisions. But at forward I would have to assume that it will be a training camp battle for some of the spots in Washington between Travis Boyd, Jakub Vrana, Chandler Stephenson, and Riley Barber. Vrana/Barber have an advantage because of the possible departures of Oshie and Williams. Barber is a Williams-lite in a sense that he's not going to score a pretty goal and he's not afraid to go to the net. He also has a nice wrist shot. Vrana is a guy that has all the offensive skills to be a full time NHL player but he has to stay committed to playing a 200 foot game and being a more consistent scorer. Stephenson and Boyd are probably more of a long shot to make the team unless they slide over to wing or a roster move is made and one of Beagle/Eller is traded in the offseason. Stephenson has the skating and defensive game to play the 4th line next year where as Boyd is more of a scoring line winger. Boyd has made great strides this year but he might be better suited to get NHL time in another organization. He also is a guy that could be a AAA or tweener where he is a great AHL player but isn't consistent in the NHL.

On D the most obvious guys to make the jump are Djoos and Bowey and outside chances go to Siegenthaler, Johansen, and Lewington. Djoos had an incredible year but it's hard to pinpoint if he's able to crack the Washington blueline. He is probably a 3rd pairing puck mover who can add some points on the PP. Bowey probably doesn't make the jump yet. He needs to be more consistent with this game and make smarter decisions. He started the year off great but wasn't very good after coming back from injury.

Copley is ready to be a full time backup in the NHL. He is a great kid, great goalie, and a hard worker. It was said that he suffered a severe groin pull that game partially off the bone but he should be ready for camp next year. He would be a cheaper option to be the backup if Grubauer is taken in the expansion draft.

Finally, I could see Troy Mann making the jump to the Caps assistant coach if Reirden finds a HC job elsewhere. Mann was in charge of the D when Alzner and Carlson were prospects and was a big component of helping them develop. He's obviously done a great job at developing some guys the past few years as HC in Hershey as well

 

[hb12xchamps]

Hershey is going to have a lot of roster turnover next year in terms of vets and I think that's a good thing. They wasted a lot of their vet spots on smaller, grinder type guys and ultimately that killed them in the end. The past few years their forward group has been one of the smallest in the AHL and they have struggled against teams that have bigger D.

Coming Back
Aaron Ness
Zach Sill

Both were on 2 year deals so both will return next season. Sill is one of the best shutdown centers in the AHL and Ness had a great year last year when he was fully healthy.

Should Come Back
Chris Bourque
Paul Carey
Hubert Labrie

Bourque is obviously a Hershey legend at this point and it wouldn't make sense for him to play anywhere else at this point in his career. His NHL aspirations are pretty much over and he's tried the Europe route a couple of times so far. He can sign a multi-year deal again and play out his final seasons in Hershey and cement his number in the rafters. Paul Carey was a great player in the AHL and was good and filling in spots for the Caps. Labrie is a heart and soul guy but I think his Hershey days are number with Ness, Siegenthaler, and Johansen most likely being in Hershey. Plus Djoos could clear waivers and also be a Bear next season.

Bye Bye
Ryan Bourque
Dustin Gazley
Garrett Mitchell
Christian Thomas
Stan Galiev

Galiev already said he is moving on to another team. Ryan Bourque and Gazley are both small, penalty killing, grinders who shouldn't occupy vet spots. Mitchell has been in Hershey for most of his career but again he's a grinder/fighter taking up a vet spot that needs to be used for scoring purposes. Thomas was nothing more than a PP specialist.

Overall, I think they need to use at least one vet spot on a #1 or #2 center. Center depth killed Hershey down the stretch. Losing Carter Camper from last year's team showed and Chandler Stephenson isn't a scoring line center.

 

[hb12xchamps]

South Carolina advances to the Kelly Cup Finals

 

[PanniniClaus]

South Carolina advances to the Kelly Cup Finals

any prospects of note? Game 3 goes tomorrow night. Finals have been tight - Colorado up 2-0

 

[hb12xchamps]

any prospects of note? Game 3 goes tomorrow night. Finals have been tight - Colorado up 2-0

Nothing on the Caps front. Adam Carlson has been backing up Parker Milner all year and Tim McGauley was sent home before the playoffs. Wasn't sure if he was injured or if it was further rehab/conditioning after his injury last offseason

 

[hb12xchamps]

Chris Bourque coming back to Hershey. Also has a mutual option that can be picked up for 2018-19 and it's an AHL only deal. He's essentially signed a 2 year deal unless he suffers some catastrophic injury. Smart on his part as he probably gets his number in the rafters when it's all said and done.

 

[Hivemind]

Kinda bummed its an AHL only deal. Sure, he has no real NHL future, but I would like to see him a cup of coffee again at some point for sentimental reasons.

 

[Langway]

Mathias Bau Hansen signed by Hershey. He's a large human.

 

[Hivemind]

Mathias Bau Hansen signed by Hershey. He's a large human.

With the influx of Bau Hansen and Graovac and the possible graduation of Boyd, Vrana, and/or Barber, the Hershey forward corps is getting a lot bigger. Granted, Bourque will still be around.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

With the influx of Bau Hansen and Graovac and the possible graduation of Boyd, Vrana, and/or Barber, the Hershey forward corps is getting a lot bigger. Granted, Bourque will still be around.

This dude seems like a big, nasty guy too. Granted he's not 6'7'' but he's not small either.

Anyone know what's up w/ him? The article was dated March 2 and says he was joining the Bears on an ATO the rest of the season, but Hockey DB doesn't have any stats listed for him with Hershey and I don't recall hearing about him joining the Bears at all.

 

[Hivemind]

I believe he practiced with the team, but did not get any game action.