Ottawa 67's 2023-24 Season Thread (Part One)

[OMG67]

Another 4 point week. They didn’t play all that well this week but they still managed to get 4 of 6 points.

They did play better today but they don’t seem to have any real offensive drive. Gardiner doesn't seem to be generating any offence at all. Pinelli had a slow week. The defence and goaltending came through.

Donoso with 39 saves today. Not a lot of difficult saves but he continues to play well when he sees a lot of rubber. GAA now under 3.00 and Save% now above .900 where it should be.

 

[mianjo]

67`s win 2-1

SHOTS ON GOAL

Teams	1st	2nd	3rd	Total
OTT	12	10	6	28
PBO	17	8	15	40

STARS OF THE GAME​

FIRST
#35 Max Donoso G
SH 40SV 39GA 1Ottawa

THIRD
#29 Cooper Foster C
G 1A 0+/- 0Ottawa

 

[OMG67]

Walls is a massive homer.

Pretty astonishing that even without Othmann, Avon, Robertson, Hayes, Beck, Lockhart, Stillman, Purdeller, White, Spearing, Zanetti and Simpson from the team that eliminated Ottawa last year it still takes getting goalie'd for the Petes to lose to the 67s.

Walls is annoyingly bad from the “homer” perspective but he calls a good play by play. He isn’t monotone and boring like so many others. He at least injects some ”colour” into the broadcast. But, yes, a very bad homer.

Ottawa without Morrison, Mintyukov, Tolnai, Beck, Rohrer, Matier, Costantini, Boucher, Uronen, Marrelli, and Stonehouse for half a game but the Petes still couldn’t manage to win…. Sad

 

[NorthernVoice]

Stonehouse for half a game

This has got to be considered a plus for Ottawa, no? Dumbest player I've seen in a long time.

 

[sirius67fan]

This has got to be considered a plus for Ottawa, no? Dumbest player I've seen in a long time.

I know from the perspective of other teams he's a total pain in the a... but he is actually one of the smartest players in the league. The amount of penalties he draws is incredible. Yes he took a bad one today as his arm came up but that's an outlier fot him not the norm.

 

[NorthernVoice]

I know from the perspective of other teams he's a total pain in the a... but he is actually one of the smartest players in the league. The amount of penalties he draws is incredible. Yes he took a bad one today as his arm came up but that's an outlier fot him not the norm.

He always seems to take more than he draws in Peterborough but his season totals are low enough.

He also has resting dumbass face... looks like he never knows what's going on. Gives Nick Ritchie vibes...

 

[sirius67fan]

He always seems to take more than he draws in Peterborough but his season totals are low enough.

He also has resting dumbass face... looks like he never knows what's going on. Gives Nick Ritchie vibes...

It's called a good actor my friend

 

[BarberPole9]

He always seems to take more than he draws in Peterborough but his season totals are low enough.

He also has resting dumbass face... looks like he never knows what's going on. Gives Nick Ritchie vibes...

Stonehouse would be a key player for any team in the league. His role is to piss the other teams off. The fact that you are coming on to the 67’s board to try to put him down just proves my point.

Keep in mind that he just signed an NHL deal and you’re on HFB bad mouthing a 19 year old.

Stonehouse 1, random fan of team who’s been good for a year or so 0.

 

[AGranderson]

What are the picks not shown on the draft data base that we got last season for Cranley?

 

[NorthernVoice]

Stonehouse would be a key player for any team in the league. His role is to piss the other teams off. The fact that you are coming on to the 67’s board to try to put him down just proves my point.

Keep in mind that he just signed an NHL deal and you’re on HFB bad mouthing a 19 year old.

Stonehouse 1, random fan of team who’s been good for a year or so 0.

True, I also didn't attempt to cause any head injuries today though, so random message board guy 0, resting dumbass face guy -1

 

[OMG67]

What are the picks not shown on the draft data base that we got last season for Cranley?

Flint 3rd and 5th in 2024

 

[OMG67]

True, I also didn't attempt to cause any head injuries today though, so random message board guy 0, resting dumbass face guy -1

You do try to cause head injuries with your comments! NV 1 - Ottawa Board 0

Stonehouse is an agitator. It is what it is. Now and then there is unfortunate Contact. Usually it is the other way around because he is such a rat. Page popped right back up so no harm, no foul. Petes got a 5 minute powerplay.

Stonehouse can also play. He skates pretty well and chips in a decent amount of goals. 30+ last year and probably around 25 or so this year. Not bad for a pest that hasn’t had a decent centre to play with this season. HE impressed the Oilers at his training camp invite and came out with an NHL contract. They saw the pest in him and valued it enough to give him a free agent deal. Good for him. He plays that role well.

You’d love him if he played for your team. That’s how it goes. Sometimes I shake my head at some of the stuff he does but mostly it is in front of the net standing there with his resting dumbass face (which is a pretty accurate description). He isn’t the type of guy that goes around running guys like McCallum. I’m not picking on McCallum, just suggesting the way he plays is much more likely to cause injury than the stupid crap Stonehouse does in front of the net.

 

[beastintheeast]

Every team has had a Stonehouse or Galbraith. The player that knows his role and does what the coach says.

Stonehouse is not the fighter but he is the player that will stir up the game will make the hit or sucker a player into a bad penalty.
He can also go out and score.

You may hate him in red white and black but would live him in your uniform.

 

[OMG67]

Every team has had a Stonehouse or Galbraith. The player that knows his role and does what the coach says.

Stonehouse is not the fighter but he is the player that will stir up the game will make the hit or sucker a player into a bad penalty.
He can also go out and score.

You may hate him in red white and black but would live him in your uniform.

But he has resting Dumbass face. If he were in maroon, the only way you’d know who he is is by his number. Everyone wearing maroon has resting dumbass face!

 

[Bra Wavers]

But he has resting Dumbass face. If he were in maroon, the only way you’d know who he is is by his number. Everyone wearing maroon has resting dumbass face!

That isn't resting dumbass face you are seeing on the guys wearing maroon.
It's actually the smug look of someone who has accomplished something and is exhausted from playing hockey into June last year only to begin this year by going 13-7 in their first 20 games.

 

[OMG67]

That isn't resting dumbass face you are seeing on the guys wearing maroon.
It's actually the smug look of someone who has accomplished something and is exhausted from playing hockey into June last year only to begin this year by going 13-7 in their first 20 games.
View attachment 781612

That could be it! If that’s the case, maybe Stonehouse doesn’t have resting dumbass face. Maybe he is just exhausted form drawing penalties game in and game out. It can take its toll after all. That’s a lot of punishment in front of the net.

Maybe we have this all wrong….

I wonder how far we can take this one…. certain moderators around last year probably would have already shut this one down.

 

[NordiquesForeva]

To, uhh, change topics from the facial appearance of 19-year olds:

Winning 2 of the next 3 (Niagara, Missy, Erie) would be a nice way to go into the Christmas break.

IMO, Donoso has been the team's MVP this season so far (not something I would have expected a few months ago) and has seemingly wrestled the starting job away from MacKenzie, at least in the short term. Perhaps he's being showcased. At the very least, he has significantly increased his trade value but part of me wonders what the market is for him (as an OA) and its possible that Boyd simply sticks with him and MacKenzie for the duration. Not entirely fair to either goaltender IMO, but that's a realistic outcome that we should prepare ourselves for.

Marrelli can't return soon enough. The defense group is pretty thin to begin with, but when guys like Smyth (who has seemingly regressed noticeably in all areas of his game since last year) and Ewles are getting top-4 minutes you know you're in big trouble. There is at least one hole there that needs to be addressed by Boyd if this team wants to be competitive this year, let alone make any sort of playoff run.

The good news is that Mews has turned around his game recently after what I considered to be a substandard start. He's playing like a #1 offensive d-man of late, acknowledging there are some gaps in his defensive game. He's carrying the puck well, making good decisions and smart passes. He tends to get a lot of his point shots blocked so perhaps he could be a little smarter in that area but that's nitpicking.

The offense is sputtering along and a lot of players have run out of gas. Pinelli and Stonehouse are a threat game-in, game-out and Gerrior has been consistently very good, but after that we're left with some good facilitators (Gardiner, Lawrence), Foster (who is having a really nice season imo), and some speedy depth pieces that have hit the wall. Like the top-4 d-man mentioned above, a top-6 centre is necessary for this team to at least be competitive.

Nothing good is going to come from winning games 2-1 while being outshot and physically outmatched by a wide margin every game. That's my biggest concern at this point. Our top players are going to wear down and/or get injured, and our youngsters like Whitehead, Brady, Korbler and Hilton are going to hit the wall and maybe even regress in their development. They're all very good prospects (especially Whitehead and Brady) but they aren't playing as well now as they were even 2-3 weeks ago. Some veteran help is needed, even just to provide some quality depth and get this team through the remainder of the season.

 

[Larionov]

Some veteran help is needed, even just to provide some quality depth and get this team through the remainder of the season.

To your point, Boyd really needs to fill that extra OA slot. In year where it isn't clear that we are a contender, though, I get that he doesn't want to pay a significant price to get one. I'm fine with waiting until the last minute in order to pay the lowest price possible, but an OA player who can be a physical presence would be a huge help right now.

On the subject of Stonehouse, the only way you trade him is if a team comes to you with an offer that you can't refuse. I can't see that happening because a) his skill set is hard to properly value and b) the lack of a clear frontrunner in the Eastern Conference depresses the market a bit. As a result, I think we end up keeping him as an "own rental" as they say in the NHL to lead this group for the rest of this season. (There's a chance we get him for his OA year, but Edmonton will give him every chance to stick in the AHL first.) I'm good with that, as I just don't think we get fair value in a trade. I'm not trading a heart and soul kid like that for a couple of late round throwaway picks - no chance.

 

[OMG67]

To, uhh, change topics from the facial appearance of 19-year olds:

Winning 2 of the next 3 (Niagara, Missy, Erie) would be a nice way to go into the Christmas break.

IMO, Donoso has been the team's MVP this season so far (not something I would have expected a few months ago) and has seemingly wrestled the starting job away from MacKenzie, at least in the short term. Perhaps he's being showcased. At the very least, he has significantly increased his trade value but part of me wonders what the market is for him (as an OA) and its possible that Boyd simply sticks with him and MacKenzie for the duration. Not entirely fair to either goaltender IMO, but that's a realistic outcome that we should prepare ourselves for.

Marrelli can't return soon enough. The defense group is pretty thin to begin with, but when guys like Smyth (who has seemingly regressed noticeably in all areas of his game since last year) and Ewles are getting top-4 minutes you know you're in big trouble. There is at least one hole there that needs to be addressed by Boyd if this team wants to be competitive this year, let alone make any sort of playoff run.

The good news is that Mews has turned around his game recently after what I considered to be a substandard start. He's playing like a #1 offensive d-man of late, acknowledging there are some gaps in his defensive game. He's carrying the puck well, making good decisions and smart passes. He tends to get a lot of his point shots blocked so perhaps he could be a little smarter in that area but that's nitpicking.

The offense is sputtering along and a lot of players have run out of gas. Pinelli and Stonehouse are a threat game-in, game-out and Gerrior has been consistently very good, but after that we're left with some good facilitators (Gardiner, Lawrence), Foster (who is having a really nice season imo), and some speedy depth pieces that have hit the wall. Like the top-4 d-man mentioned above, a top-6 centre is necessary for this team to at least be competitive.

Nothing good is going to come from winning games 2-1 while being outshot and physically outmatched by a wide margin every game. That's my biggest concern at this point. Our top players are going to wear down and/or get injured, and our youngsters like Whitehead, Brady, Korbler and Hilton are going to hit the wall and maybe even regress in their development. They're all very good prospects (especially Whitehead and Brady) but they aren't playing as well now as they were even 2-3 weeks ago. Some veteran help is needed, even just to provide some quality depth and get this team through the remainder of the season.

IMO, there are few things happening.

1> First and foremost, the more experienced and prepared teams to start the season all started very well. Thi sis why we saw teams like Peterborough get out to such a great start. They were simply more ready than other teams. Where this comes into play (and we saw it last season) is in the second half. Teams that are more talented but less prepared early, tend to start surging and passing the less talented teams in the standings. It happens all the time. I’m not saying Ottawa is a team that will get passed by a handful of teams but I am saying that taking a snapshot of the first half results and copy-pasting them into the second half simply will not be a good approach.

2> To your point, I think some of the more relied upon players are running out of gas. The heavier teams are leaning on them and it shows. Petes are a heavier team and you can see less time and space for Gerrior and Pinelli specifically.

3> We lack a dynamic offensive centre. I like Gardiner and praise his overall game but he isn’t dynamic offensively. He is a great #2 guy. His game suits that role. We need a bonafide #1 centre, not a top 6 guy. Just adding that top centre would stretch out the scoring enough that other teams wouldn’t be able to target us as easily.

4> Foster has been very effective. He’s had a level of consistency to his game we haven’t seen as much in the past. Bravo.

5> I agree about Mews. I held back saying anything negative because I thought he would turn it around as he is still young. But, I felt it needed to be mentioned that his decisions with the puck in the O-Zone have been poor and had led to a lot of unnecessary turnovers. However, as soon as I said it, he seemed to all of a sudden get much more patient and wise with the puck. Bravo.

6> The defence. Wow. The best GAA in the league. It is all smoke and mirrors. I expected more offence out of Mayich. I expected more maturity out of Ewles and Smyth. We haven’t gotten any of Mayich is still very responsible defensively so it is tough to point fingers. I jsut thought he would emerge as more of a competitive offensive player than he has been. Still a top pairing guy. Ewles? Very disappointing. I really thought he showed a lot of promise last yea, especially int he playoffs. He handles the puck very poorly and seems to be wearing the goat horns on a lot of the bad turnovers and missed assignments in front of th net. A lot of skill in that kid but just very disappointing this year. Smyth is a simple stay at home 3rd pairing D-Man. Expecting more is unrealistic. Keep him in that role and we won’t notice him at all, which is a good thing.

7> Goaltending. I said at the beginning of the season that Donoso only has value as a starter. IF he was to remain withthe 67’s the full season, he needs to be the starter. You don’t go from starter as a 19 year old on a league leading team to backup as a 20 year old on a decent team. It is completely insulting to do so. It is also insulting for MacK to perform the way he has and not be given the opportunity as a 19 year old. If they want to play with fire, be prepared to get the house burnt down with MacK requesting a trade.

 

[NordiquesForeva]

IMO, there are few things happening.

1> First and foremost, the more experienced and prepared teams to start the season all started very well. Thi sis why we saw teams like Peterborough get out to such a great start. They were simply more ready than other teams. Where this comes into play (and we saw it last season) is in the second half. Teams that are more talented but less prepared early, tend to start surging and passing the less talented teams in the standings. It happens all the time. I’m not saying Ottawa is a team that will get passed by a handful of teams but I am saying that taking a snapshot of the first half results and copy-pasting them into the second half simply will not be a good approach.

2> To your point, I think some of the more relied upon players are running out of gas. The heavier teams are leaning on them and it shows. Petes are a heavier team and you can see less time and space for Gerrior and Pinelli specifically.

3> We lack a dynamic offensive centre. I like Gardiner and praise his overall game but he isn’t dynamic offensively. He is a great #2 guy. His game suits that role. We need a bonafide #1 centre, not a top 6 guy. Just adding that top centre would stretch out the scoring enough that other teams wouldn’t be able to target us as easily.

4> Foster has been very effective. He’s had a level of consistency to his game we haven’t seen as much in the past. Bravo.

5> I agree about Mews. I held back saying anything negative because I thought he would turn it around as he is still young. But, I felt it needed to be mentioned that his decisions with the puck in the O-Zone have been poor and had led to a lot of unnecessary turnovers. However, as soon as I said it, he seemed to all of a sudden get much more patient and wise with the puck. Bravo.

6> The defence. Wow. The best GAA in the league. It is all smoke and mirrors. I expected more offence out of Mayich. I expected more maturity out of Ewles and Smyth. We haven’t gotten any of Mayich is still very responsible defensively so it is tough to point fingers. I jsut thought he would emerge as more of a competitive offensive player than he has been. Still a top pairing guy. Ewles? Very disappointing. I really thought he showed a lot of promise last yea, especially int he playoffs. He handles the puck very poorly and seems to be wearing the goat horns on a lot of the bad turnovers and missed assignments in front of th net. A lot of skill in that kid but just very disappointing this year. Smyth is a simple stay at home 3rd pairing D-Man. Expecting more is unrealistic. Keep him in that role and we won’t notice him at all, which is a good thing.

7> Goaltending. I said at the beginning of the season that Donoso only has value as a starter. IF he was to remain withthe 67’s the full season, he needs to be the starter. You don’t go from starter as a 19 year old on a league leading team to backup as a 20 year old on a decent team. It is completely insulting to do so. It is also insulting for MacK to perform the way he has and not be given the opportunity as a 19 year old. If they want to play with fire, be prepared to get the house burnt down with MacK requesting a trade.

The only point I'll quibble with above (the rest I agree with) is your point on Mayich, I personally never saw much offensive upside with him. He can easily make the safe play, but he seems hesitant to make the more creative play that can jump-start a quick break-out or create opportunities on the rush. He is a strong top defensive d-man and can play a physical brand of hockey, but needs to be partnered up with a strong and creative puck-mover (enter: Mews) otherwise that pairing isn't going to provide the offensive support needed for our top scorers.

Mayich and Mews complement each other well as they each make up for the gaps in each others' games. Like you said Mayich is an easy first-pairing guy and Mews is becoming one, but I never expected Mayich to perform like Matier did last year, for example. I'm fine with what he is and is more or less meeting my expectations (though I find he plays it a little close to the edge at times in terms of discipline).

Smyth can be a good #5 or 6 guy but has been forced into a role much bigger than he is capable of over the past several weeks. That has resulted in him getting exposed. So maybe regression is a bad choice of words, but he's not being put in a position to succeed. Lots of bad giveaways in the d-zone and he's not playing nearly as physical as he was last year. Ewles is a good skater and a fairly competent puck mover but I constantly wonder when he'll get broken down with every bone-crushing hit he absorbs. The Smyth/Ewles pairing remind me of the keystone cops when they get running around in their own zone. Horner isn't a competent OHL d-man. Brady has hit the proverbial wall and would benefit from sheltered minutes for a spell.

 

[OMG67]

The only point I'll quibble with above (the rest I agree with) is your point on Mayich, I personally never saw much offensive upside with him. He can easily make the safe play, but he seems hesitant to make the more creative play that can jump-start a quick break-out or create opportunities on the rush. He is a strong top defensive d-man and can play a physical brand of hockey, but needs to be partnered up with a strong and creative puck-mover (enter: Mews) otherwise that pairing isn't going to provide the offensive support needed for our top scorers.

Mayich and Mews complement each other well as they each make up for the gaps in each others' games. Like you said Mayich is an easy first-pairing guy and Mews is becoming one, but I never expected Mayich to perform like Matier did last year, for example. I'm fine with what he is and is more or less meeting my expectations (though I find he plays it a little close to the edge at times in terms of discipline).

Smyth can be a good #5 or 6 guy but has been forced into a role much bigger than he is capable of over the past several weeks. That has resulted in him getting exposed. So maybe regression is a bad choice of words, but he's not being put in a position to succeed. Lots of bad giveaways in the d-zone and he's not playing nearly as physical as he was last year. Ewles is a good skater and a fairly competent puck mover but I constantly wonder when he'll get broken down with every bone-crushing hit he absorbs. The Smyth/Ewles pairing remind me of the keystone cops when they get running around in their own zone. Horner isn't a competent OHL d-man. Brady has hit the proverbial wall and would benefit from sheltered minutes for a spell.

My point better defined is that with the minutes he plays and the situations he plays in, I would have expected more around the .5 points per game level so around 35 points. 7 points in 26 games is less than he produced last year. He may not even top 20 points if the current trend continues. I would say that is disappointing. I also expected him to get the powerplay time regardless of his past production. Usually the 19 year olds playing top pairing get more special teams time. I’m surprised a kid like Smyth is out there while Mayich is sitting on the bench (unless they are managing his overall minutes).

Horner may be a solid “Sirman” candidate with a move to forward. He plays more of a hard nosed game. I wonder if that would translate to forward.

 

[NordiquesForeva]

My point better defined is that with the minutes he plays and the situations he plays in, I would have expected more around the .5 points per game level so around 35 points. 7 points in 26 games is less than he produced last year. He may not even top 20 points if the current trend continues. I would say that is disappointing. I also expected him to get the powerplay time regardless of his past production. Usually the 19 year olds playing top pairing get more special teams time. I’m surprised a kid like Smyth is out there while Mayich is sitting on the bench (unless they are managing his overall minutes).

Horner may be a solid “Sirman” candidate with a move to forward. He plays more of a hard nosed game. I wonder if that would translate to forward.

That's fair. I think he may have picked up some secondary assists last season from partnering up with Matier and playing on the top-pairing with more offensively gifted forwards. The team as a whole is really struggling to score this year which will no doubt impact point totals for guys like Mayich who pick up points downstream.

The PP deployment with Smyth is really puzzling to me as I'm sure it is for everybody. I don't have an answer for that but suspect you're on the right train of thought there. Either that, or they're showcasing him for a trade in which case their plan may backfire!

If we need a warm body to throw into the meat grinder then Horner may be our guy. He has good character and willingness to put his body on the line. I find his puck-moving skills and defensive positioning to be weak (I don't think I've seen him complete a nice crisp tape-to-tape pass since he's arrived in Ottawa) but obviously those shortcomings can be resolved in a different role. Sirman's return will necessitate some changes to the lineup so it'll be interesting to see what those are.

 

[OMG67]

That's fair. I think he may have picked up some secondary assists last season from partnering up with Matier and playing on the top-pairing with more offensively gifted forwards. The team as a whole is really struggling to score this year which will no doubt impact point totals for guys like Mayich who pick up points downstream.

The PP deployment with Smyth is really puzzling to me as I'm sure it is for everybody. I don't have an answer for that but suspect you're on the right train of thought there. Either that, or they're showcasing him for a trade in which case their plan may backfire!

If we need a warm body to throw into the meat grinder then Horner may be our guy. He has good character and willingness to put his body on the line. I find his puck-moving skills and defensive positioning to be weak (I don't think I've seen him complete a nice crisp tape-to-tape pass since he's arrived in Ottawa) but obviously those shortcomings can be resolved in a different role. Sirman's return will necessitate some changes to the lineup so it'll be interesting to see what those are.

I imagine Sirman returning will be of great benefit. he doesn’t take any crap and jumps in when necessary regardless of him being a middleweight. A kid like McCallum wouldn’t be able to run around quite as much IMO. McCallum isn’t big but there didn’t seem to be much pushback against him. That is where someone like Sirman steps in a bit.

It will come down to how they manage assets. Personally, I don’t see a spot on the roster next year for any of Smyth, Ewles, and Horner. I can see Sirman breaking camp with the team as the 4th OA. IMO, if they can pick up a 17 or 18 year old D-Man using Smyth and a pick, go do it. Even if that player cannot play a top 4 role with the team, he can fill in on the 3rd pairing and be around next year too.

I have to admit that I have liked what I have seen from Dietsch. I wouldn’t go as far as saying he is more ready than the other guys outside the top 3 but he has shown the potential to be.

 

[OHL4Life]

I imagine Sirman returning will be of great benefit. he doesn’t take any crap and jumps in when necessary regardless of him being a middleweight. A kid like McCallum wouldn’t be able to run around quite as much IMO. McCallum isn’t big but there didn’t seem to be much pushback against him. That is where someone like Sirman steps in a bit.

It will come down to how they manage assets. Personally, I don’t see a spot on the roster next year for any of Smyth, Ewles, and Horner. I can see Sirman breaking camp with the team as the 4th OA. IMO, if they can pick up a 17 or 18 year old D-Man using Smyth and a pick, go do it. Even if that player cannot play a top 4 role with the team, he can fill in on the 3rd pairing and be around next year too.

I have to admit that I have liked what I have seen from Dietsch. I wouldn’t go as far as saying he is more ready than the other guys outside the top 3 but he has shown the potential to be.

ive only seen the 67s a few times this year but they seem to play ewles a decent amount, 4th in ice time among d from what i can see.

 

[Smithsy]

ive only seen the 67s a few times this year but they seem to play ewles a decent amount, 4th in ice time among d from what i can see.

Is ice time posted somewhere? I don't see it on the OHL site.