Owen Sound Attack 2022-23 Season Thread

[KFawcett]

Great job navigating a tough week for the Attack picking up 5 of 8 possible points. Thought they bounced back strong on Saturday against the Petes after getting shellacked Friday night in London. Today against Ottawa may have been their best, most complete game of the year. Ottawa was credited with 33 shots on net but I thought the Attack did a great job keeping them to the outside and blocking the shots and passing lanes. They did a nice job of capitalizing on their chances in the offensive zone when the opportunities came.

Votary had a great performance on Saturday, probably the best game he's had in an Attack uniform. He turned away several high danger shots on his way to 42 saves on 46 shots. I was surprised he started against Ottawa due to how busy he was against Peterborough but showed well again. Hopefully he can run with the positive momentum of beating two very good opponents. His puck handling is a major asset for the defense in setting them up for the break outs.

The top three lines for the Attack are looking really good right now. Hookey and Lawrence mesh well together and Papais seems to be enjoying the extra room on the ice with his talents. With the tight games the fourth line didn't see very much action and Rogers minutes were carefully managed but they didn't get into trouble on the ice against tough competition.

Stellar29 I came on to post about the weekend but you covered it very well so I'll just say here here! I will add its funny how Lawrence wanted to fight Hookey when Soo was here now there buddies. Last time I can remember that was in the Plater Days Ray Edwards and Jeff Christian going TOE TO TOE at the old Ice House then being linemates when Jeff got traded here.

 

[HockeyPops]

My hometown team probably benefits from the current division makeup as it's in the middle of all the opposing divisional teams but it's absolutely ridiculous that Niagara plays in the same division as Sudbury. One is basically in southern Ontario and the other is in northern Central Ontario. Also I'm pretty sure they can just take the 407 to the 400 and avoid the 403 altogether

You do realize that Owen Sound to Erie is further than St. Catharines to Sudbury?

 

[dirty12]

My hometown team probably benefits from the current division makeup as it's in the middle of all the opposing divisional teams but it's absolutely ridiculous that Niagara plays in the same division as Sudbury. One is basically in southern Ontario and the other is in northern Central Ontario. Also I'm pretty sure they can just take the 407 to the 400 and avoid the 403 altogether

The 407 goes all the way down to Niagara now; since?
2001! I thought it ended at Burlington-Hamilton

 

[HockeyPops]

The 407 goes all the way down to Niagara now; since?

No, but it gets just as close as the 403 does.

 

[Stellar29]

Stellar29 I came on to post about the weekend but you covered it very well so I'll just say here here! I will add its funny how Lawrence wanted to fight Hookey when Soo was here now there buddies. Last time I can remember that was in the Plater Days Ray Edwards and Jeff Christian going TOE TO TOE at the old Ice House then being linemates when Jeff got traded here.

Haha I saw that comment in Greg's piece as well. Amazing that they can move past any bitterness so quickly. Hookey has been a great add. Even if he doesn't chip in on the scoresheet he adds so much to the game by going to the dirty areas and creating chaos in front of the net. It's one thing to be big, it's another to know how to use that size effectively.

 

[DCruickshank]

Stellar29 I came on to post about the weekend but you covered it very well so I'll just say here here! I will add its funny how Lawrence wanted to fight Hookey when Soo was here now there buddies. Last time I can remember that was in the Plater Days Ray Edwards and Jeff Christian going TOE TO TOE at the old Ice House then being linemates when Jeff got traded here.

Theo and Phil....

 

[Stellar29]

Just out of curiosity, anybody else surprised to see Sawyer avoid suspension for the slew foot and play Sunday? Watching the replay when the penalty was called it seemed he would be receiving the automatic 2 game suspension. No distinct kicking motion with the leg but the overhead angle looked particularly bad I thought.

 

[Stellar29]

I thought I would share the 32 Thoughts Podcast with Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman that was done live from Owen Sound. Some great stories.

32 Thoughts: The Podcast

Hockey fans already know the name, but this is not the blog. From Sportsnet, 32 Thoughts: The Podcast with Jeff Marek and NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman is a weekly deep dive into the biggest news and interviews from the hockey world.

www.sportsnet.ca

 

[Millpond]

Just out of curiosity, anybody else surprised to see Sawyer avoid suspension for the slew foot and play Sunday? Watching the replay when the penalty was called it seemed he would be receiving the automatic 2 game suspension. No distinct kicking motion with the leg but the overhead angle looked particularly bad I thought.

Apparently after the game the league reviewed it and decided 5 and game was the wrong call

My hometown team probably benefits from the current division makeup as it's in the middle of all the opposing divisional teams but it's absolutely ridiculous that Niagara plays in the same division as Sudbury. One is basically in southern Ontario and the other is in northern Central Ontario. Also I'm pretty sure they can just take the 407 to the 400 and avoid the 403 altogether

The reason is Niagara was given the choice of moving or staying in their current division. They chose to stay.

Why would the Attack want to change ?

They get 3 of the biggest road draws a total of 12 games a season .
That's almost a third of their home games, with full arenas.

 

[Stellar29]

Apparently after the game the league reviewed it and decided 5 and game was the wrong call

Seemed like you could argue it was more of a pitchfork than a slew foot but the league has been pretty liberal with the 5 min penalties. I could see an argument either way and given the automatic suspension that comes with the slew foot I thought for sure Sawyer would be gone.

Was great to keep Sawyer in the line up for such a big game though. Definitely happy the call was over turned.

 

[HuGo Burner Acc]

You do realize that Owen Sound to Erie is further than St. Catharines to Sudbury?

That goes even more to my point. The divisions needed reworking

The 407 goes all the way down to Niagara now; since?
2001! I thought it ended at Burlington-Hamilton

True but I was talking about jumping on the 400 to go north to Barrie and beyond

 

[HuGo Burner Acc]

Apparently after the game the league reviewed it and decided 5 and game was the wrong call


The reason is Niagara was given the choice of moving or staying in their current division. They chose to stay.

Why would the Attack want to change ?

They get 3 of the biggest road draws a total of 12 games a season .
That's almost a third of their home games, with full arenas.

All the power to them. All I know is going from Niagara region to north of the French River region is ridiculous. Again, my hometown team is in the centre of all their divisional opponents so their travel is decent. Just think Niagara should be playing in a division with teams in their proximity

 

[LDN]

You won’t allow numbers over 40?

 

[DCruickshank]

You won’t allow numbers over 40?

This is correct...not an issue, seems fans from other teams have an issue....

 

[AttackSound]

You won’t allow numbers over 40?

OS is very traditional with numbers. With the exception of 14 in memorial to the late Platers captain Dan Snyder. The Attack choose to keep a traditional numbering of players.

Low numbers are commonly used by defenders while higher numbers for forwards and goalies.

This has been in place for decades since the Platers moved from Guelph to Owen Sound in the fall of 1989. This also has some significance likely into the reasoning behind not retiring jersey numbers into rafters of the Bayshore Community Centre but instead player banners.

Dan Snyder 14
Scott Walker
Andrew Brunette
Kirk Maltby

Likely will only ever see a player retirement banners without numbers being retired too. But do tend to agree with the previous post that fanbases around the OHL seem to like to retire numbers fairly regularly as far as OS is concerned if there were players who who they believed deserved banners to be raised I'm sure they would either have done it by now or would have something planned for the next big anniversary year in 2024-25 for the 25th anniversary of Attack hockey or 2023-24 which would be the 35th anniversary of OHL hockey for the city of Owen Sound.

 

[Millpond]

All the power to them. All I know is going from Niagara region to north of the French River region is ridiculous. Again, my hometown team is in the centre of all their divisional opponents so their travel is decent. Just think Niagara should be playing in a division with teams in their proximity

This is nothing compared to WHL travel.

I don't think any teams are complaining. My team travels the day before game day on long trips.

 

[StormWatcher]

OS is very traditional with numbers. With the exception of 14 in memorial to the late Platers captain Dan Snyder. The Attack choose to keep a traditional numbering of players.

Low numbers are commonly used by defenders while higher numbers for forwards and goalies.

This has been in place for decades since the Platers moved from Guelph to Owen Sound in the fall of 1989. This also has some significance likely into the reasoning behind not retiring jersey numbers into rafters of the Bayshore Community Centre but instead player banners.

Dan Snyder 14
Scott Walker
Andrew Brunette
Kirk Maltby

Likely will only ever see a player retirement banners without numbers being retired too. But do tend to agree with the previous post that fanbases around the OHL seem to like to retire numbers fairly regularly as far as OS is concerned if there were players who who they believed deserved banners to be raised I'm sure they would either have done it by now or would have something planned for the next big anniversary year in 2024-25 for the 25th anniversary of Attack hockey or 2023-24 which would be the 35th anniversary of OHL hockey for the city of Owen Sound.

Guelph is the same with number sequencing.

 

[HockeyPops]

Guelph is the same with number sequencing.

Soo is also the same. A few years ago we signed free agent Tanner Dickinson and he negotiated #71. Sent some ripples through the room at the time from what I had heard, as even first round picks didn't have that luxury.

 

[KFawcett]

Haha I saw that comment in Greg's piece as well. Amazing that they can move past any bitterness so quickly. Hookey has been a great add. Even if he doesn't chip in on the scoresheet he adds so much to the game by going to the dirty areas and creating chaos in front of the net. It's one thing to be big, it's another to know how to use that size effectively.

Hockey is sometimes different in how there is bitterness on ice but after game not so much. The boys highschool game on Fri 2 players were in each others face and aggressivey pushing each other then all of the sudden they hugged and skated away. I find out after they both play on I believe the U17 team.

 

[dirty12]

Hockey is sometimes different in how there is bitterness on ice but after game not so much. The boys highschool game on Fri 2 players were in each others face and aggressivey pushing each other then all of the sudden they hugged and skated away. I find out after they both play on I believe the U17 team.

In one college game our team was down to 8 skaters in the 3rd period. After the game there were 35+ hockey players having beers together.

 

[Wolf on a Wire]

Ray McKelvey, the long time business manager of the team, and the person who was key to bringing the team in 1989 and ensuring they stayed in 2000.

Ray never missed a day at the rink, well into his 80's, until he succumbed to cancer recently .

Ray was beloved by the team and his community. He will always be remembered . He shied away from the spotlight, but was a pillar of the community.


It was at Ray's suggestion the team put together an all rookie line last season that totalled around 90 goals. Two of them were NHL drafted , the third will this summer.
Petrovsky, Guindon and Barlow .

Every team should be so lucky to have a Ray McKelvey. My condolences.

 

[Stellar29]

Dale DeGray was on Attack Rap this week and had a few interesting comments. Izayah Luddington was a request of the Attack scouting staff in the Stewart trade. He's someone they have been watching and hope to get to Owen Sound for some practice and a chance to see him with their guys. Dale was planning on a scouting trip to see him in person.

He mentioned that with the open import slot they would look at the trade front prior to the import draft and he has a few names he's keeping track of.

As far as the 2022 U16 draft class, they are still in communication with Dean Letourneau, who has made an NCAA commitment to Northeastern. Dale mentioned that they were planning a scouting trip to see him in person and talk about going down the OHL road with him.

He still expects George to be around the team when he can and to join the team once St Mary's season is over.

And lastly, some heartwarming news on Bonaiuto. He technically didn't qualify for his full education package and was trying to get into a game to secure it. Dale went to ownership and they agreed to grant him a full package for school. Really classy move by the organization in my opinion.

 

[Stellar29]

Based on Dale's comments about exploring trades for the second import prior to the draft, I took a look at some of the players around the league that might make sense if they become available:

Defense:
Alexander Lukin(04) - North Bay
Kirill Kudryavtsev(04) - Soo
Tomáš Hamara(04) - Kitchener

Forward
Sandis Vilmanis(04) - Sarnia
Simon Slavicek(04) - Flint

Would have to think they would lean towards defense if they made a move. Can't imagine any of them coming cheap though. The draft seems more likely.

 

[AttackSound]

Based on Dale's comments about exploring trades for the second import prior to the draft, I took a look at some of the players around the league that might make sense if they become available:















Defense:







Alexander Lukin(04) - North Bay







Kirill Kudryavtsev(04) - Soo







Tomáš Hamara(04) - Kitchener















Forward







Sandis Vilmanis(04) - Sarnia







Simon Slavicek(04) - Flint















Would have to think they would lean towards defense if they made a move. Can't imagine any of them coming cheap though. The draft seems more likely.







That's one of those things where playinga guessing game on imports availability for trade.







Based on Dale's comments about exploring trades for the second import prior to the draft, I took a look at some of the players around the league that might make sense if they become available:







Defense:



Alexander Lukin(04) - North Bay



Kirill Kudryavtsev(04) - Soo



Tomáš Hamara(04) - Kitchener







Forward



Sandis Vilmanis(04) - Sarnia



Simon Slavicek(04) - Flint







Would have to think they would lean towards defense if they made a move. Can't imagine any of them coming cheap though. The draft seems more likely.



Based on Dale's comments about exploring trades for the second import prior to the draft, I took a look at some of the players around the league that might make sense if they become available:



Defense:

Alexander Lukin(04) - North Bay

Kirill Kudryavtsev(04) - Soo

Tomáš Hamara(04) - Kitchener



Forward

Sandis Vilmanis(04) - Sarnia

Simon Slavicek(04) - Flint



Would have to think they would lean towards defense if they made a move. Can't imagine any of them coming cheap though. The draft seems more likely.

Based on Dale's comments about exploring trades for the second import prior to the draft, I took a look at some of the players around the league that might make sense if they become available:

Defense:
Alexander Lukin(04) - North Bay
Kirill Kudryavtsev(04) - Soo
Tomáš Hamara(04) - Kitchener

Forward
Sandis Vilmanis(04) - Sarnia
Simon Slavicek(04) - Flint

Would have to think they would lean towards defense if they made a move. Can't imagine any of them coming cheap though. The draft seems more likely.

Unfortunately we can play the guessing game of who becomes available for imports.

It really will come down to 2 things.

1. Are the teams of these specific imports considering moving on from those imports for different ones?

2. What's the asking price to getting a out of potential opponents who may not necessarily want to deal their import away if they could be a contender and in the mix with us?

It will really depend on what he wants to go after and how he wants to go about acquiring it.

Maybe he does and he plays big and gets a guy's listed in a deal? Maybe there's a guy in the import draft the he might be able to convince to come over after the NHL draft?

At this point anything is possible and what route this team goes, but that's the GM's job to see what he needs and how he gets what he needs. I'm sure there's a guy(s) he would love to get here but until we see what shakes out will have to wait.

The other possibility there might be there maybe a kid in Europe somewhere that he has an idea that he might be able to convince to sign next season when the import draft comes and he might have his feelers out waiting to see if this kid is available come June.

It's a wait and see game...

 

[Stellar29]

Unfortunately we can play the guessing game of who becomes available for imports.

It really will come down to 2 things.

1. Are the teams of these specific imports considering moving on from those imports for different ones?

2. What's the asking price to getting a out of potential opponents who may not necessarily want to deal their import away if they could be a contender and in the mix with us?

It will really depend on what he wants to go after and how he wants to go about acquiring it.

Maybe he does and he plays big and gets a guy's listed in a deal? Maybe there's a guy in the import draft the he might be able to convince to come over after the NHL draft?

At this point anything is possible and what route this team goes, but that's the GM's job to see what he needs and how he gets what he needs. I'm sure there's a guy(s) he would love to get here but until we see what shakes out will have to wait.

The other possibility there might be there maybe a kid in Europe somewhere that he has an idea that he might be able to convince to sign next season when the import draft comes and he might have his feelers out waiting to see if this kid is available come June.

It's a wait and see game...

I was just looking at hypothetical fits. Not sure any of them would be available or that the acquisition cost would make sense. I still think the draft is the most likely avenue to fill the open import slot.

If they did get a puck mover like a Hamara or a Kudryavtsev then maybe that opens the door to a Sedley trade and keeping Sawyer as the OA on defense. Obviously any decision is months away and many dominoes to fall before we get there. Just food for thought.