Sore Loser
Sorest of them all
Last night the Calgary Hitmen made their first trip to Spokane in 2 seasons, and I was excited to see them for many reasons, the main being Karl Alzner and Alex Plante.
I was impressed with Plante right from the get, he was a strong skater for his size, seemed to move the puck well and utilized his shot on a couple of occasions for scoring chances. I thought he was definately 2nd round NHL draft talent, if not even a 1st round sleeper ala Jeff Schultz.
Karl Alzner, however was absolutely spectacular. He wasn't listed as a star in the game which was a travesty, as I thought he was the best player on the ice. His movements were so fluid, making long passes while moving backwards, jumping into the rush only at the right times, making the right play every time he defended a rush, skating always with his head up while he had the puck. He made the right decision on every play I saw him make, and when the team was down 3-1 in the third is when he really shined. First he assisted on the team's second goal of the night, moving the puck ahead in transition and leading his forward on a partial break. Next, only minutes later, he got the puck at the center point and wristed a strong, heavy shot by Kevin Armstrong to tie the game at 3 and force overtime. If this kid is on the draft board when the Jackets draft, Doug had better take him, he would be a perfect fit. I think the Wade Redden comparisons are spot on, and being a Jacket fan I would be excited as heck to see him go.
Brett Sonne also played in the game last night, but was fairly unimpressive IMO. Decently physical, he just didn't seem to be around much when the big plays were happening. Almost invisible. I was more impressed with Freddie Pettersson, I thought the Edmonton draft pick was a very strong skater with a good shot.
I was impressed with Plante right from the get, he was a strong skater for his size, seemed to move the puck well and utilized his shot on a couple of occasions for scoring chances. I thought he was definately 2nd round NHL draft talent, if not even a 1st round sleeper ala Jeff Schultz.
Karl Alzner, however was absolutely spectacular. He wasn't listed as a star in the game which was a travesty, as I thought he was the best player on the ice. His movements were so fluid, making long passes while moving backwards, jumping into the rush only at the right times, making the right play every time he defended a rush, skating always with his head up while he had the puck. He made the right decision on every play I saw him make, and when the team was down 3-1 in the third is when he really shined. First he assisted on the team's second goal of the night, moving the puck ahead in transition and leading his forward on a partial break. Next, only minutes later, he got the puck at the center point and wristed a strong, heavy shot by Kevin Armstrong to tie the game at 3 and force overtime. If this kid is on the draft board when the Jackets draft, Doug had better take him, he would be a perfect fit. I think the Wade Redden comparisons are spot on, and being a Jacket fan I would be excited as heck to see him go.
Brett Sonne also played in the game last night, but was fairly unimpressive IMO. Decently physical, he just didn't seem to be around much when the big plays were happening. Almost invisible. I was more impressed with Freddie Pettersson, I thought the Edmonton draft pick was a very strong skater with a good shot.