Ottawa 67's 2018 Offseason Thread

[BarberPole9]

This team seems to be jelling at right time. If they keep this up ottawa can do some damage in the playoffs. Maybe win one or two rounds.

Getting in the 4-5 seed range would be huge, as they match up far better against Niagara/Oshawa/North Bay than either Kingston or Barrie. At this point, they look to be the 7 seed at worst, but if they can get up to the 4, I would think any series there would be to the 67's advantage the way they are playing.

 

[BarberPole9]

Have to agree. A big factor, in my opinion, is Tremblay. As much as his overall numbers aren't the best, his last 10 games (taking out the debacle in Owen Sound): GAA 1.30 SV% .930 He had similar numbers in Rouyn-Noranda last season after far less than stellar numbers earlier in his career.

He looks like a completely different goalie. I really, really hope he stays healthy as it feels like he's started darn near every game the last two months! You would have to think that Andree's development would be better off in Jr A as a starter, but it's hard to beat playing in the OHL!

 

[OMG67]

The two players I had most concern with going into the season, and to be quite frank, all the way through Christmas based on their play, were Tremblay and Chmelevski. The reason why I was concerned is because of their importance and responsibility with respect to the success of this team.

Since the deadline, both players have seemed to turn a corner. It is shocking to me that Tremblay has completely turned around his game. I can’t remember ever seeing that from a goalie. HE went from being an outside the Top 20 goalie (meaning there were better backups in the league), to easily a Top 10 Starter.

Chmelevski has found some fire and he is on one of those rolls right now where he is like a shark swimming toward the blood. He can sniff it out and atttack. He seems to have found that next level he’s been missing. I still question his ability as a centre because I think as a winger he could move a little more freely and be that Toffoli type sniper but we simply don’t have that centre depth.

Felhaber is a player that has managed to take advantage of the growth of this offense. He seemed to be jsut poking along and not having much of an impact. Now that Chmelevski is getting more on ice attention, Felhaber seems to be able to create more room to make plays. They are a great combination. Barron can bang and make room and go get pucks as well as almost anyone in the league. The construction of the first line is great.

It will be an interesting game tonight with Hamilton. It will be a real measuring stick. If we can do some damage tonight after a long bus ride last night from North Bay, it will be interesting how the rest of the Conference lines up with 4th place still in sight.

Rippon was a great acquisition. I think he is a better fit than Stratis. Okhotyuk has turned the corner int he 2nd half. HE will miss some games with his Game Misconduct but hopefully it wont be a 10-gamer.

Hoelscher has really settled in on the 2nd line. That looks really good for next year. Cascagnette has fit in quite nicely too. His size is an added dimension this team sorta needed to offset the speed game.

I’d still like to see more out of Robertson. I know he gets a lot of praise but he still needs to take that next step. Hopefully he can gear it it up the playoffs.

 

[67hockeyfan]

Impressive play by Andrée tonight in the losing effort. Tremblay will likely continue to be our guy headed into the playoffs, but it’s nice to know we’ve got a reliable backup.

 

[Duke Guy]

The suspension to Okhotyuk is now listed as "indefinite". What # do you think he will get?

 

[ETA 2000 Fan]

The suspension to Okhotyuk is now listed as "indefinite". What # do you think he will get?

I'd love to see the hit again. TV coverage in NB only showed 1 replay and the hit was almost out of frame. Player (Evans) returned to play and Okhotyuk is a first-time offender so it shouldn't be too severe.

 

[sirius67fan]

I'd love to see the hit again. TV coverage in NB only showed 1 replay and the hit was almost out of frame. Player (Evans) returned to play and Okhotyuk is a first-time offender so it shouldn't be too severe.

Hope you are right but whether you're a repeat offender or not its been in the eight to twelve range pretty consistently. It will depend on the video and as mentionned was not able to see much on tv.

 

[ETA 2000 Fan]

Hope you are right but whether you're a repeat offender or not its been in the eight to twelve range pretty consistently. It will depend on the video and as mentionned was not able to see much on tv.

8 games would be the balance of the regular season so I hope you're wrong.

 

[MartyHuggins]

I'd love to see the hit again. TV coverage in NB only showed 1 replay and the hit was almost out of frame. Player (Evans) returned to play and Okhotyuk is a first-time offender so it shouldn't be too severe.

Evans left the game, didn't return to play. Missed last night in Mississauga also.

 

[OMG67]

My assumption is Okhotyuk will get 10 games which means he would miss the first two games of the playoffs. The only factor left is whether they will equate a playoff game the same as a regular season game. They may cut it down to 8 games so he starts the playoffs but I doubt it.

If I were betting, I’d say 10 games. If player is injured and missing games then it is usually a 10 game deal, more if it was intentional or if you are a repeat.

 

[67hockeyfan]

Evans left the game, didn't return to play. Missed last night in Mississauga also.

Evans was apparently diagnosed with a concussion.....doesn’t look good for Okhotyuk, unfortunately.

 

[ecraigs]

'We're not going to give up on him:' Hockey coach, 56, facing Alzheimers with grit, love

Sad news for a former 67s assistant. A pernicious disease that aggressively takes everything away. All the best to him and his family

 

[sec20forever]

Good effort today with some goaltending in the first we could have won the game. Brutal call by reid on the hip check which be called tripping. Andree is starting to show he might be a goalie for next year.

 

[PhlyerPhanatic31]

Brutal call by reid on the hip check which be called tripping.

It was called clipping. Plain as day on replay could have easily been called interference as well. It was the right call

 

[ETA 2000 Fan]

Good news for the future

 

[ETA 2000 Fan]

Team	Player	Date of Game	Discipline	Eligible to Return
OTT	Nikita Okhotyuk	Mar. 1	8 games	Game 1 of Playoffs

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

 

[sirius67fan]

Well better than I thought, at least getting him for the playoffs. Him and Wilson form a good shutdown pair.

 

[OMG67]

Team	Player	Date of Game	Discipline	Eligible to Return
OTT	Nikita Okhotyuk	Mar. 1	8 games	Game 1 of Playoffs

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Makes Sense. Although, if there were 10 games remaining in the season, the suspension would probably be 10 games. It is good to know he will be fresh for the playoffs.

 

[sirius67fan]

Well here I am at the garage waiting for my car, when will they invent cars that don't need oil changes? Anyway have been pondering the season and realized I'm very pleased with the season and excited for the future. The positives are many in my view
1-a coaching staff that have been good teachers and brought a positive vibe to a young team
2- although we were not one of the major movers in the league I liked our moves-trade with missy and Stratis trade
3-our first 3 picks Clarke/Peric/Quinn appear to be for real...kudos again to the scouts who have done a good job last three years
4- the emergence of Chem who I believe will be a true #1 center next year
5-emergence of Hoelscher as a #2, just love this kid
6-the general progress of all our young players and of Wilson
7-Okhotiuk is becoming a force, best import we've gotten in a while
8- and we are loaded with assets for the next two years...thanks Jeff Brown and to a degree Mr Boyd

For me only a few regrets this year. Despite the recent better play of Tremblay the goaltending situation was poorly evaluated/managed. I still wonder where we would be in the standings if we had decent goaltending. The other dissapointment for me has been Hoef. Don't get me wrong he's been playing OK but after his huge jump last year was expecting more...has he plateaud or will he go forward next year?

 

[OMG67]

Well here I am at the garage waiting for my car, when will they invent cars that don't need oil changes? Anyway have been pondering the season and realized I'm very pleased with the season and excited for the future. The positives are many in my view
1-a coaching staff that have been good teachers and brought a positive vibe to a young team
2- although we were not one of the major movers in the league I liked our moves-trade with missy and Stratis trade
3-our first 3 picks Clarke/Peric/Quinn appear to be for real...kudos again to the scouts who have done a good job last three years
4- the emergence of Chem who I believe will be a true #1 center next year
5-emergence of Hoelscher as a #2, just love this kid
6-the general progress of all our young players and of Wilson
7-Okhotiuk is becoming a force, best import we've gotten in a while
8- and we are loaded with assets for the next two years...thanks Jeff Brown and to a degree Mr Boyd

For me only a few regrets this year. Despite the recent better play of Tremblay the goaltending situation was poorly evaluated/managed. I still wonder where we would be in the standings if we had decent goaltending. The other dissapointment for me has been Hoef. Don't get me wrong he's been playing OK but after his huge jump last year was expecting more...has he plateaud or will he go forward next year?

I agree with everything except Chmelevski. If we can acquire a true #1 Centre next year and move him to that wing, you would see a monumental difference. To me, he is more a pure scorer and I think you are seeing his play as an individual improving but I don’t think that translates into line improvement. I still think Barron is doing a lot of the work necessary on that line and he may not be back next year. We cannot have a first line with players hovering around a point per game. With a bonafide #1st line centre, I think the three of them can all be 80-90 point players.

Regarding Hoefenmayer, I think his growth was stunted by his defense partners. HE had to be the elder statesman. He couldn’t be the puck rusher while leaving a 17 year old to be the defensive guy, especially with horrid goaltending behind him. He has made improvements on the defensive side of the puck and he has become smarter overall. HE is not going to be a 60 point D-Man but he will be that great #2 next year. The only problem is if he is #2, who is #1?

 

[sirius67fan]

I agree with everything except Chmelevski. If we can acquire a true #1 Centre next year and move him to that wing, you would see a monumental difference. To me, he is more a pure scorer and I think you are seeing his play as an individual improving but I don’t think that translates into line improvement. I still think Barron is doing a lot of the work necessary on that line and he may not be back next year. We cannot have a first line with players hovering around a point per game. With a bonafide #1st line centre, I think the three of them can all be 80-90 point players.

Regarding Hoefenmayer, I think his growth was stunted by his defense partners. HE had to be the elder statesman. He couldn’t be the puck rusher while leaving a 17 year old to be the defensive guy, especially with horrid goaltending behind him. He has made improvements on the defensive side of the puck and he has become smarter overall. HE is not going to be a 60 point D-Man but he will be that great #2 next year. The only problem is if he is #2, who is #1?

Good points for Hoef makes sense and hopefully he makes another jump next year with a more mature supporting cast. As for a true #1 next year I see both Bahl and Okhotiuk potentially being able to fill that. At worse we have three #2 guys imo. I will also predict Peric will become a #1 2-3 years from now, great skater and has no fear. As for Chem I guess it depends what you want in a number 1 center. If its primarily a playmaker then you are right as I agree he's more of a trigger man. However to me a true #1 is someone who drives possesion at both ends which he has recently shown he can do. In my view nothing wrong with your center being the best scorer as long as he has playmaking wingers. Felhaber fits that mold. And you're right Barron does a lot of the dirty work on that line, would be huge to get him back. I see Cody Clark as the likely replacement on the top line as he does bring grit along the boards.

 

[OMG67]

Good points for Hoef makes sense and hopefully he makes another jump next year with a more mature supporting cast. As for a true #1 next year I see both Bahl and Okhotiuk potentially being able to fill that. At worse we have three #2 guys imo. I will also predict Peric will become a #1 2-3 years from now, great skater and has no fear. As for Chem I guess it depends what you want in a number 1 center. If its primarily a playmaker then you are right as I agree he's more of a trigger man. However to me a true #1 is someone who drives possesion at both ends which he has recently shown he can do. In my view nothing wrong with your center being the best scorer as long as he has playmaking wingers. Felhaber fits that mold. And you're right Barron does a lot of the dirty work on that line, would be huge to get him back. I see Cody Clark as the likely replacement on the top line as he does bring grit along the boards.

I haven’t quite seen enough from Rippon yet but if he can increase his scoring rate a little and contribute with a shot on the PP, he could be the #1, but I am not sure he would be ready for that next year. Same with Okhotyuk. Bahl is a #2 like Seabrook was for Duncan Keith. Robertson is more of a #3. I am not sure his defensive play will ever get him to the #1 spot but it should be good enough to get him to the 2nd offensive guy. I agree about Peric but there is a lot of time gap there for him to reach that level.

Wilson is a great #6 that could really be a #4 except for the fact he has a lot of talent ahead of him.

For next year, I see three second unit pairings all about the same give or take. I don’t see a first pairing. This means we will get solid and effective production but no one will lead the charge so to speak. Same with the offense. It will be more of a Toronto Raptors team where the bench steals the games while the top lines cancel each other out. Our depth will be the most effective positive.

But, if we do manage to acquire a #1 centre and Barron returns, look out. It could be very interesting with the right goalie.

 

[beastintheeast]

Interesting thoughts sirius and OMG.

I too like the way that the team is developing.

As to Chem the 67's will have little to do with where he plays. That is dictated by the NHL team at this stage. It depends on where they see him fitting in with the team either NHL or AHL that will decide where he plays to a great deal.

Hoef is going to get another year at the NHL camp level and should be able to take what he learns and bring it back as the elder of the defense core. I also think that with everyone else on a learning curve he was probably told to look out for the other guy and hold back.

Goaltending was going to be an issue with the team no matter how you looked at it coming into camp. You had a returning goalie that had played most of the games and a young kid that was 18 that wanted more ice time and last year showed that maybe he deserved it. Instead of being one of those teas that holds a young guy back Ottawa took a chance and made a trade. Was Tremblay supposed to be the starter I don't think so I think he was brought in for insurance as a back up to help the other goalie develop? The problem was that the defense was not as developed as we hoped and the goalie was not as good as was needed.

My worry is now if Andreee is ready for prime time or the 67's should be looking for a starter.

If Killer and Hunt get their way at the owners meeting I am sure they have a goalie in Europe already lined up. If not it is going to be a long year next year.

 

[sec20forever]

So after last night its looks like we might play kingston. Its looks like we wont catch the ice dogs or north bay. Any thoughts on this match up.

 

[OMG67]

So after last night its looks like we might play kingston. Its looks like we wont catch the ice dogs or north bay. Any thoughts on this match up.

We don’t have a particularly easy schedule. It is not like we are playing SOO or Sarnia but If we struggle a little down the stretch, we will play Hamilton. Mississauga is playing well right now. If we give up points to them, we could be in trouble.

All that said, I don’t think it matters who we play. If we play to our potential, the only team in the conference we have zero chance against is Hamilton. It is unlikely we make it out of round one anyway. This is about the experience.