ATD 2011 Draft Thread X

[TheDevilMadeMe]

Aside from Palffy and Gagne, I don't think I even like that as much as my last MLD team, and that draft went a little bit deeper too.

not a fair comparison though, as we've all gotten better at drafting; much more players are getting the respect they deserve now.

A gagne-tumba-palffy line backed by yuri liapkin would be a fine 2nd PP unit in the main draft, let alone the MLD

 

[seventieslord]

Well, it happened in 2007 and wasn't the 7th MLD...but I guess so. It happened after ATD 7, if that's what you mean.

yeah, that's what I mean. ATD8 also happened in 2007 but I don't think the MLD did.

So yeah, if I'm thinking of the same draft, pitseleh shoulda pwned you all. Maybe your team was ranked unfairly (it would be interesting to re-run some drafts knowing what we know now, Hooley Smith was in MLD4, and Eddie Gerard in MLDs 5 & 6, LOL) but I can't see anyone coming even close to pit's team - that somehow lost in round 1.

My last MLD team has 10 guys drafted. 8 of them by others - Dennis Hextall, Eddie wiseman, dubbie Kerr, jay pandolfo, Ron sutter, normand rochefort, coach Rudy pilous, and miika kiprusoff. Most importantly, kipper was one of the top backups picked this time, as he should be.

I brought Todd bertuzzi and assistant coach Larry Robinson up to the main team.

Yeah, I still count those two because if you didn't take 'em, someone would have. I should mention that of my dozen selected, three were taken by me - Redden, Boudrias & Gardner, and I count those too, unofficially.

- Redden was better than Reinhart and some others taken in the 400s/500s, that should be clear
- Gardner, I never got any feedback on, but Billy Reay was selected right after and I considered Reay strongly and Gardner won the head to head comparison
- Boudrias was called a "good pick" by someone else already. The fact that he's multi-positional, good at a few things, and was well-pimped last draft meant he was definitely getting drafted one way or another.

 

[seventieslord]

You clearly had the better team, but I think I should've been higher in the regular season standings, which would have given me a different first round matchup.

True. I know who I think the two best were anyway, but you could have been as high as 3rd.

A gagne-tumba-palffy line backed by yuri liapkin would be a fine 2nd PP unit in the main draft, let alone the MLD

Well, that's kinda cherrypicking from that roster, but yeah.

 

[Velociraptor]

Hern, Kuhnhackl, Kasparaitis, Markov, A. Stastny, Ellett and Holik.

7 MLD players that gained ATD promotion from mine and Dwight's squad.

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

Can someone update the op until the end to show the teams due to be autoskipped? In this case, nighthawks and advantage for like the 100th time.

 

[seventieslord]

Hern, Kuhnhackl, Kasparaitis, Markov, A. Stastny, Ellett and Holik.

7 MLD players that gained ATD promotion from mine and Dwight's squad.

Hern doesn't count... He should never have been in the MLD in the first place; you didn't do anything special by picking him 1st overall

 

[Dwight]

Hern, Kuhnhackl, Kasparaitis, Markov, A. Stastny, Ellett and Holik.

7 MLD players that gained ATD promotion from mine and Dwight's squad.

8 - Chico Maki was also picked

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

Someone with a confuter please pm bugg to let him know his clock starts in less than 10 min

 

[MadArcand]

So I get to make a drunk pick this draft afterall!

Alf Smith, assistant coach

Someone please PM the next guy.

 

[vancityluongo]

(it would be interesting to re-run some drafts knowing what we know now, Hooley Smith was in MLD4, and Eddie Gerard in MLDs 5 & 6, LOL) but I can't see anyone coming even close to pit's team - that somehow lost in round 1.

That's actually a good idea for people looking for something to do after this draft is over and before the MLD starts. Retroactive series' featuring teams from ATD 1 and so on - I think the playoff format started at 5?. We could even do ATD 6 or 7, and then compare the results of voting now to the results back then.

 

[MadArcand]

Seeing as posting how many of your last MLD team got picked is all the rage:

Geoff Courtnall, Yashin, Whitney, Ridley, Gelinas, Carpenter, Trottier, Lumme, Beukeboom, Cote, Peeters, Laviolette


That's two guys I drafted myself and whopping 10 that others took so far. Not too shabby.

 

[hfboardsuser]

I've accidentally used this guy's name like three times in place of Billy Boucher's, so it's about time I took him. RW Billy Gilmour

 

[jarek]

I'll take my assistant coach - Barry Trotz.

Mark Willoughby from TheViewFrom111 has this to say about him:

Yet underneath that calm demeanor there is a drive to excel that pushes Trotz- and subsequently his players- to consistently exceed the expectations of the hockey world. As the Coach of a team that doesn’t spend as freely as some of the large market competitors, Trotz is called upon to squeeze everything out of the talent that he is given.

Trotz is a coach that respects his players and puts the responsibility for the play on them. Although he will “call out” a player in the media, it is more of an exhortation to bring their game back to a certain level of performance rather than berating the player in public. This approach is appreciated by the players, and because Trotz respects them, they in turn respond to his coaching.

This is not to say that Trotz can’t light up a player or the team when necessary. I travelled with the Predators on a Western Canada road trip several years ago, with the first stop in Vancouver. The Predators played an uncharacteristically lifeless game and lost 2-0. I caught up with Coach Trotz the next day in Calgary, and we talked about the game. He told me that once the doors were closed, he had some choice words for the team, and that he called out several of the “stars” on the team. His comment was that if you want to be treated like a big dog, then play like a big dog.

And therein lies, I believe, the foundation of the success of Barry Trotz. He respects his players as players, and more importantly, as people. The fact that the team had to be chastised never even made it to the beat reporter from Nashville following the team. This was family to Trotz and he dealt with it behind closed doors. He did not embarrass the players. He clearly defined expectations and in turn expected his players to respond to him.

Trotz continually preaches the value of resiliency to his team. He tells them there will be moments in a game, and stretches in a season, where things don’t work, where the individual or the team suffers a setback. Trotz continually coaches his team to focus not on the breakdown or the tough patch, but to focus on the comeback. Take the punch, get off the mat, and fight back. This has been bred into the DNA of the team to the point that players often bring this up when talking to reporters. The philosophy of Trotz- and by extension the Predators- is not to dread the setbacks. They know they will come. Instead, have the fortitude and the ability to overcome adversity.

Trotz has often been described by many adjectives- stoic, hard working, underappreciated. All are accurate. But if you want to really understand the success of Barry Trotz and his ability to get the most out of his team, it starts with these three characteristics: respect; resiliency; and realism.

Here are Nashville's PK results since their inception:

27th (out of 27), 12th (out of 28), 8th (out of 30), 9th, 17th, 24th, 5th, 3rd, 3rd, 10th, 28th, 6th (this year)

Other than a few blips down the road, Nashville has had a very strong PK over the last decade. As I believe that much of a great PK comes down to solid coaching, this is a very good record for Trotz.

He should also work very well with Bob Johnson, as both of them believe in respecting their players, and getting the absolute most out of them at all times. Trotz brings a somewhat more fiery approach towards guys not working well, but I feel that Johnson's calm and composed attitude will work more to put these flames out. I see no reason why they can't work very well together.

Given that Johnson focuses a lot more on offense, Trotz will be the guy who handles the PK and defensive zone strategies, and this in turn should give my team very strong coaching in every zone of the ice.

PM'ing next.

 

[overpass]

Here's something I put together for my Kjell Samuelsson bio.

Who are the "most defensive" defencemen of the ATD?

These are the guys who handle the puck like it's a live grenade, but when the puck gets down low in your end you're glad to see them guarding the net.

I've generated a list using a stat, even strength point percentage, that measures the % of on-ice even strength goals that the defenceman was awarded a point on. Defencemen who played more conservatively and defensively have lower numbers. Unfortunately available data limits this list to the expansion era (1967-on).

Penalty killing usage and power play usage are also listed. More PK and less PP = more defensive, in general.

Defensive Defencemen of the ATD (expansion era)

Rk | Player | GP | ESP% | PK% | PP%
1 | Don Awrey | 842 | 0.17 | 45% | 4%
2 | Ken Daneyko | 1286 | 0.18 | 43% | 4%
3 | Ken Morrow | 550 | 0.18 | 48% | 1%
4 | Dave Burrows | 724 | 0.18 | 53% | 13%
5 | Jeff Beukeboom | 804 | 0.20 | 40% | 5%
6 | Brian Engblom | 659 | 0.20 | 40% | 16%
7 | Robyn Regehr | 744 | 0.21 | 48% | 16%
8 | Craig Ludwig | 1256 | 0.21 | 52% | 2%
9 | Normand Rochefort | 598 | 0.21 | 40% | 12%
10 | Terry Harper | 795 | 0.22 | 53% | 9%
11 | Kjell Samuelsson | 813 | 0.22 | 49% | 8%
12 | Bill Hajt | 854 | 0.22 | 57% | 5%
13 | Ed van Impe | 639 | 0.22 | 46% | 12%
14 | Ted Harris | 598 | 0.23 | 44% | 5%
15 | Andre Dupont | 810 | 0.23 | 39% | 14%

 

[Hedberg]

Can someone update the op until the end to show the teams due to be autoskipped? In this case, nighthawks and advantage for like the 100th time.

I think I have it updated

 

[seventieslord]

wow, my "A" coach Alf Smith even went!

I did a good bio on him, finally going over his whole coaching career - check it out.

 

[MadArcand]

wow, my "A" coach Alf Smith even went!

I did a good bio on him, finally going over his whole coaching career - check it out.

He was my head coach in ATD 2010 (or was it 10?)

I'll definitely read your bio on him tomorrow though

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

I know coaching strategies affect the PP a lot.

But how much do they have to do with PK success? It's obviously a part of it , but the PK is more about reacting than planning I feel. Am I totally off base here?

I see in those numbers that nashville's PK just happened to dramatically improve around the time weber and suter came to town, correct?

 

[overpass]

I know coaching strategies affect the PP a lot.

But how much do they have to do with PK success? It's obviously a part of it , but the PK is more about reacting than planning I feel. Am I totally off base here?

I see in those numbers that nashville's PK just happened to dramatically improve around the time weber and suter came to town, correct?

Coaching strategies can affect the PK a lot, at least negatively. I know Oilers fans consider the diamond PK (as opposed to a box PK) that they used for most of the season to be a terrible idea - certainly the results were bad. And teams can choose to be more or less aggressive in various areas of the ice, have different coverage responsibilities, etc. A coach can also choose to spend more or less time working on the PK in practice.

But in general I think it's more about using the right players than on-ice tactics.

 

[jarek]

Coaching strategies can affect the PK a lot, at least negatively. I know Oilers fans consider the diamond PK (as opposed to a box PK) that they used for most of the season to be a terrible idea - certainly the results were bad. And teams can choose to be more or less aggressive in various areas of the ice, have different coverage responsibilities, etc. A coach can also choose to spend more or less time working on the PK in practice.

But in general I think it's more about using the right players than on-ice tactics.

In both cases, Barry Trotz is a far better coach in that specific situation than Johnson, I think. Johnson focused mainly on offense. This gives him a guy that can let him not worry about the defensive side of things and focus more on what he was known for.

Besides, is it so bad to have Barry Trotz worrying about defensive responsibilities than Johnson?

 

[Hedberg]

That's actually a good idea for people looking for something to do after this draft is over and before the MLD starts. Retroactive series' featuring teams from ATD 1 and so on - I think the playoff format started at 5?. We could even do ATD 6 or 7, and then compare the results of voting now to the results back then.

The main problem with this is it seems like a bit of an insult against the winners of the time.

 

[Dr Pepper]

Modo picks Doru Tureanu. I had not heard of this player so I googled him and was told he is "the best player you never heard of."

Thanks for making the pick, TDMM!

I hadn't heard of him either, but noticed he was selected in one of the prior ATD's, and he seemed intriguing:

http://www.iihf.com/home-of-hockey/news/iihf-hof-2011.html

A confident and skilful forward, Tureanu was blessed with an eye for a pass and capable of scoring against anyone. Legendary Soviet coach Viktor Tikhonov was one of his admirers and once said that Tureanu had the skill to play for any team in the world. His finest hour was scoring two goals in a 5-4 win over the United States in the 1977 World Championship in Vienna, Austria, in what was arguably the greatest game ever played by the Romanian national team.

http://icehockey.wikia.com/wiki/Doru_Tureanu

According to an article published on prosport.ro, Tureanu was offered a contract by the Montreal Canadiens in 1977, following a particularly impressive display at the 1977 World Championship in Switzerland, which notably included a pair of goals in a 5-4 win over the United States. Tureanu declined the offer to stay with his sick mother. Three years later, Montreal reportedly sent officials in Bucharest in an effort to sign him, a plan the Securitate, communist Romania's equivalent of the KGB, discovered

Sought after by the 70's-era Canadiens? Not bad for a spare center in Dawson City.

 

[Nalyd Psycho]

Here's something I put together for my Kjell Samuelsson bio.

Who are the "most defensive" defencemen of the ATD?

These are the guys who handle the puck like it's a live grenade, but when the puck gets down low in your end you're glad to see them guarding the net.

I've generated a list using a stat, even strength point percentage, that measures the % of on-ice even strength goals that the defenceman was awarded a point on. Defencemen who played more conservatively and defensively have lower numbers. Unfortunately available data limits this list to the expansion era (1967-on).

Penalty killing usage and power play usage are also listed. More PK and less PP = more defensive, in general.

Defensive Defencemen of the ATD (expansion era)

Rk | Player | GP | ESP% | PK% | PP%
1 | Don Awrey | 842 | 0.17 | 45% | 4%
2 | Ken Daneyko | 1286 | 0.18 | 43% | 4%
3 | Ken Morrow | 550 | 0.18 | 48% | 1%
4 | Dave Burrows | 724 | 0.18 | 53% | 13%
5 | Jeff Beukeboom | 804 | 0.20 | 40% | 5%
6 | Brian Engblom | 659 | 0.20 | 40% | 16%
7 | Robyn Regehr | 744 | 0.21 | 48% | 16%
8 | Craig Ludwig | 1256 | 0.21 | 52% | 2%
9 | Normand Rochefort | 598 | 0.21 | 40% | 12%
10 | Terry Harper | 795 | 0.22 | 53% | 9%
11 | Kjell Samuelsson | 813 | 0.22 | 49% | 8%
12 | Bill Hajt | 854 | 0.22 | 57% | 5%
13 | Ed van Impe | 639 | 0.22 | 46% | 12%
14 | Ted Harris | 598 | 0.23 | 44% | 5%
15 | Andre Dupont | 810 | 0.23 | 39% | 14%

Good to see that the guys I took to be specialists are good at being specialists. And probably also good that I have them on separate PK units.

 

[BraveCanadian]

The Guelph Platers draft a spare forward who can pinch in at any forward position and who dials it up in the playoffs:

Craig Simpson

As a spare and injury replacement, hopefully his back will hold up.

 

[vancityluongo]

The main problem with this is it seems like a bit of an insult against the winners of the time.

Yeah, that's a valid point. Wouldn't matter though for the first couple of drafts before the playoff format.