Speculation: Minor League Affiliates (Hershey Bears, SC Stingrays) - summer 2018 to summer 2019

[AlexBrovechkin8]

Some quick tidbits from the home opener for Hershey. It was the first game of the season for a brand new team so I’ll try to be nice. The team is very very fast but you could tell that they haven’t played a lot together. A little bit sloppy for opening night but the potential is through the roof for this team. What they really lack is a solid AHL scorer to lead the team but Sgarbossa played very well as the top line center.

Into the prospects:
-Samsonov got the start over Vitek in the home opener. Holy **** guys I’ve never seen a goalie come through Hershey with the quickness that this guy has. He gets down quick and he moves laterally quick it’s insane. He was very solid in net and 2/3 goals given up were PP goals. Kids gonna be a stud.
-Gersich was super noticeable on the top line with Sgarbossa and Riley Barber. His speed was on display all night and it’s impressive to see a young guy play well in both the offensive and defensive zone.
-Loved Beck Malenstyn’s game. Was flying all over the ice and was a pest out there. The fourth line of Kammerer-Pinho-Malenstyn was a force all night and got a lot of shifts in the 2nd and 3rd period. Pinho is a very solid two way centerman.
-AJF is easily the fastest guy on the ice and has the nicest flow, but I wasn’t entirely impressed with his game tonight considering all the hype he was getting. Seemed a bit sloppy on the puck and looked lost on the PK. I did notice he’s not physical in a sense that he will hit someone but he is solid along the boards
-Shumakov was a complete disappointment and ended up getting benched in the 3rd period. Very, very sloppy on the puck and turned the puck over with some awful passes. I really hope he adjusts to the smaller ice but tonight was pretty rough for him. There was very little offensive output from him which is probably why he was benched. I have a bet with my brother that if he continues to play bad he’ll be back in Russia halfway through the year.
-No clue what Reirden was saying regarding Siegenthaler being impressive. He was the same old Siegenthaler tonight that he’s been since he arrived in Hershey. Great in his own zone but can’t handle the puck to save his life. His passing really needs to improve, especially when he’s not pressured in his own D zone and looking for the correct pass to lead the rush. He panics a lot when the first option is taken away.

I’m a little more optimistic that Hershey will at least play an exciting style of hockey. The team speed has greatly improved and I think as the year goes on this group will mesh a little bit better. Adding Megna soon will help too because there is going to be some growing pains in the scoring department.

My exact thought when I saw the opening night roster was, "Man, that team looks fast but it's going to take some time to gel."

I think if Carbery can get them to play as a team they'll be a ton of fun to watch.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Awesome to hear Sam looks so good in net. Also Malenstyn is one of my NHL dark horse hopefuls.

Tons of reasons to watch the Bears....

 

[Holtbyisms]

The Caps/Bears mashup jerseys were super cool. Definitely not an every nighter but would be cool to see from time to time. Good guys lose another 1 goal game and had great chances to tie it with the goalie pulled for the second night in a row. Young team is young. They've got a ton to build on and I think they're going to continue to get better as the season moves along. Depending on how quick some of the young forwards get going offensively I could see them sneaking into the playoffs. Also worth noting the ice has been absolute garbage for both games.

Special teams has been a disaster so far. 2 PP goals against in each game and 0 PP goals for. I'd like to see them give Shumakov some PP1 time to see what he can do with time and open ice. Right now they're using the top line of Gersich-Sgarbossa-Barber with Hobbs/Morin-Johansen on the points for PP1 and O'Brein-Pilon-Shumakov with Ness-Williams on the points for PP2. Let's mix it up a little and leave those forward lines for even strength. Doesn't hurt to overload a PP unit with all your talent like the big club does. Probably see some changes for game 3 on special teams.

First line was super dangerous again. Gersich and Barber both had their chances. Sgarbossa got the only goal today on a nice little stretch pass off the wall from Gersich(first AHL point). This was the result of Josh Ho-Sang being really dumb on a 2 on 1. I see why people have issues with him sometimes.

Siegenthaler looked pretty terrible tonight. Not sure if he's having a post cut hangover or what. Terrible pinch early in the second that lead to a 2-1. Thankfully Lewington played it beautifully and bailed him out. He sold out on a fake shot on the first goal(on a 5-3 PK) and Chris Bourque stepped around him to score. Got stripped at the blueline by Keifer Bellows who then had a breakaway that was halted due to a great backcheck by Hobbs. Then he took a lazy penalty in the third with the game 1-1. Not a smart play at all. Ended up leading to their second goal which was the game winner. Vanacek was kind of left hungout to dry. Made a good initial save but LuJo was a little slow to pickup the second man in front of the net who knocked in the rebound. Puck was bouncing so not much Vitek could do.

Shumakov looked 10x better tonight. Made a really good pass to Hobbs in the 1st that setup a decent scoring chance. He had a beauty of a chance on a east-west one timer where he was robbed in the third. Or should I say MAYBE robbed...not a great angle on the replays but goalies pad was inside the net when the puck hit it so it may have crossed the line or come close. Gustafsson and AJF might not have been the best fit for him. Looked a lot better with Pilon and O'Brien as his linemates.

Malenstyn continues to impress me(despite a bad penalty). Big hits, blocking shots, getting the puck on net from all kinds of angles. He was with AJF and Pinho after a line shakeup putting Shumakov on what I consider the second line. Liked the look of the Malenstyn/AJF/Pinho line and the way they played together. AJF and Malenstyn almost scored on a 2-1. High energy line and defensively responsible. What you want out of a traditional third line for sure.

Vanacek was solid but not spectacular. He didn't face as many high quality chances as Samsonov did last night so it's hard to say who was "better". I guess when I compare the two I think to myself watching Vanacek that he competes and with some time maybe one day he could play in the NHL. When I look as Samsonov play I think, this guys going to be an all-star at the NHL level one day.

Kammerer is a pretty nice player. Could see him sneaking into a 3rd/4th line role in the NHL one day. He's got some talent but mostly just does the right things. Didn't standout a ton in either game but did notice him making smart plays and getting the puck on net. I guess that should be expected given his pro experience. Interesting little tidbit last night in between periods. Colby Williams is friends with him from his brief stint in Regina. Funny story about them spending hours at Bed Bath and Beyond with other Regina alum Hobbs recently.

Colby Williams has come a long way. So far he's been my biggest surprise on the blueline. LuJo and Hobbs probably have the most gamebreaker potential but he's a player to keep an eye on. Pretty solid all over the ice and has improved year after year.

 

[Hivemind]

-No clue what Reirden was saying regarding Siegenthaler being impressive. He was the same old Siegenthaler tonight that he’s been since he arrived in Hershey. Great in his own zone but can’t handle the puck to save his life. His passing really needs to improve, especially when he’s not pressured in his own D zone and looking for the correct pass to lead the rush. He panics a lot when the first option is taken away.

This is my read on Siege as well. D have to be good on the breakout to succeed in the modern NHL, and I haven't seen it from Siegenthaler yet.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

Looks like AJF is heading back to Sweden for some seasoning.

 

[hb12xchamps]

Looks like AJF is heading back to Sweden for some seasoning.

Interesting. Wonder why they would chose to go this route, unless it’s a family oriented decision like Siegenthaler a few years back

 

[GoCaps2004]

 

[Holtbyisms]

Hope he stays. He'll be second/third line all year and grow with future teammates.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

What’s he make over there? $$$

 

[Holtbyisms]

What’s he make over there? $$$

Probably around 50-70k based on his age and averages. He'll make 150k in Hershey. Think this is wishful thinking by Djurgardens.

Liam O'Brein letting us know it's BS.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Really! That little....

 

[Holtbyisms]

Lines got mixed up tonight for sure to try and get some more scoring. Bears looked more offensive but still not pumping enough rubber on net. Bears finally got a PP goal and another was just as time expired. Turnovers absolutely kill them tonight. Three goals off turnovers. Samsonov wasn't that good but I wouldn't put this loss on him. 6-3 Griffins. Hopefully Riley Barber isn't hurt too bad and they can find a way to get in the win column tomorrow in Milwaukee. Below are random thoughts and notes throughout the game.

AJF and Shumakov were with Sgarbossa as their center. Looked like they're trying to jump start the two wingers offensively by putting them with their top offensive center and IMO it worked. All three guys had scoring chances tonight. Shumakov obviously looked great and scored a couple. Fjallby was great on the PK and again his wall-work is good. He was super dangerous on the PK was well. Had an almost breakaway and then again a great scoring chance with around 7 left in the second. This was definitely the most dangerous line. They worked well together.

Gersich and Barber staying together but with Pilon centering them. Gersich was super active again, made himself a great scoring chance halfway through the first by using his speed. Feel like once he gets one to go in he's going to blow up. Made a great play halfway through the second and almost certainly saved a goal by knocking a puck out of mid air. Barber got hammered by Zadina at center ice without the puck. Dirty hit. Barber did not return after this. Kammerer replaced him on this line in the third.

O'Brein-Pinho-Melenstyn together on the third line. They played physical all night and were part of a big scrum near the end of the first period. Lewington was in there too. Malenstyn hits everything in sight, and he hits hard. Pinho had a couple good chances in the late 3rd. O'Brein missed three chances so score into empty nets tonight. Played his usual physical and steady game though.

Kammerer and Gustafsson stay together on the 4th but with Steve Whitney as their winger instead of Morin. Kammerer had a nice scoring chance in the 1st. Whitney is fast but that turnover on GR first goal was a tough one to swallow. He might be better suited for South Carolina. Although with Barber down we'll have to see how bad he's hurt and how long he's going to be out.

Tobias Geisser gets his first pro game tonight due to a day-to-day upperbody for Colby Williams. They paired him with Lewington, for stability I'm sure. He's HUGE out there. Put a little weight on him and you might really have something to work with. Coach Carbery has nothing but positive things to say about him and how much growth he's made in the past month according to Zack Fisch. Thought he looked pretty decent in his first pro game. Looked like he belongs in the AHL. Had a one-timer from the center of the blineline that looked good, shot was blocked though. Took a second shot that he didn't get much on in the second but it was a decent scoring chance. For someone so big he skates exceptionally smooth.

Samsonov looked really sharp early. Made a couple really high end saves look easy. After that he started to struggle a bit. Goal 1 was just a blast from the top of the circle(Ovechkin spot) that he was square to and it wasn't off a one-timer. Didn't appear tipped to me so he just missed it. Second one was a bad turnover in the slot that I won't fault him for to an extremely skilled player in Zadina. Third was a wrist shot farside to his blocker from near the faceoff dot/slot area that he wasn't screened on. 4th goal against was all Siegenthaler. I have no idea what happened to him from the time he left DC until he got to Hershey. TERRIBLE turnover. 5th goal was a lucky bounce right to a goal scorer with a wide open net. Not Samsonov's fault. I'd say he was pretty average tonight. All in-all the team didn't give him much help defensively but you can't give up 5 and expect to win.

Johansen matched up with 6th overall pick Zadina a lot tonight. He looked really comfortable and played him well a few times when they went one on one in open space. He's so smooth and never makes a bad pass. Smart player.

Hobbs had a bomb of a one-timer Ovechkin style on the PP. Man can he shoot the puck. Crap luck for him when he blocked a shot on the 5th goal against. Came right off him and to a Griffin with an open net. Thought he played fairly well tonight though.

Siegenthaler is terrible so far this year... I'm blown away how bad he looks. Not really sure what's going on with him. His turnover tonight should get him benched.



1st Period
0-1: 1st goal against was the Bears not able to get the puck out at the blueline. Steven Whitney turned it over on the wall at the blueline, puck went across to the other wall to a wide open player streaking in. He wound up for a hard slapshot from the top of a circle beat Samsonov clean. Possibly a tip but it didn't look like it to me. If it wasn't tipped he's definitely got to stop that one.

1-1: Shumakov scores his first AHL goal on a gritty play at the front of the net. Pilon also picked up his first AHL point on this one as a secondary. Moments before that Shumakov set Liam O'Brein up with a wide open net and he missed it. SHumakov has looked more and more comfortable with each shift this season.

1-2: Pinho turned the puck over in front of his own net to Zadina, he buried it top shelf glove side. Not going to fault Samsonov on this one.

1-3: Another shot from the slot, beat Samsonov far blocker side. He really should have had this one. He wasn't square in time, puck was past him before he was set.

Second Period
2-3: Shumakov made an absolutely awesome individual play on the forecheck and knocked the puck into the net as the defender tried to play the puck front/next to the net. Second goal of the night for him.

2-4: Siegenthaler with an absolute trash turnover. With time in the corner he surveyed the ice and to start the breakout he threw it right into the slot where a wide open Griffin's player snapped the puck past Samsonov. Definitely not Samsonov's fault there. No chance.

3-4: Hobbs with a Ovechkin style PP goal. Pass from LuJo and Gersich with the secondary.

3-5: Zadina again, powerplay goal from the blocker side faceoff dot. Hobbs blocked a shot coming from the glove side in front of the net and the puck went right to Zadina. Samsonov dove across the crease full extension and got a piece of it but it just barely trickled across the line. Nobody really at fault, lucky bounce went right to a highly skilled player with an open net.

Third Period
3-6: Empty netter.

 

[Vilica]

FWIW, the Hershey-Grand Rapids game was on Facebook Live tonight, and the archive of it is still available on the AHL's FB page. I watched the highlights quickly, but didn't try to watch entire shifts. Video quality was fine, camera angles not the best. I thought about timestamping everything from Holtbyisms' recap, but opted just for the goals. Shumakov's 2 goals are at the 1hr mark and the 1hr28min mark (includes buildups, actual goals scored ~45s and 58s respectively). The Zadina collision with Barber happened at 1:51:20ish, and there's a replay just before 1:54:00, and the Hobbs goal happens shortly thereafter. I don't know how long the video will be available for, so if you want to watch, better get to it quickly.

 

[usiel]

Thanks for the game report, Holtbyisms.

Siegs thing is weird he was definitely best of the prospects in Training Camp. Doesn't happen often in my long years of draftniking prospecting but sometimes there are some players that seem so so at the AHL but playing up at the NHL they can fit/stay. I'm trying to recall a player like that so this is just going on my own recollection.

 

[Holtbyisms]

Thanks for the game report, Holtbyisms.

Siegs thing is weird he was definitely best of the prospects in Training Camp. Doesn't happen often in my long years of draftniking prospecting but sometimes there are some players that seem so so at the AHL but playing up at the NHL they can fit/stay. I'm trying to recall a player like that so this is just going on my own recollection.

Hey, sure thing! I'll try and do it as much as possible this season. Should get the chance to see every game this year. I honestly have no idea what's going on with him. Doesn't look anything like he did in NHL preseason. Two completely different players. I'm hoping he's just maybe a little discouraged having been sent down and it's not that he had a lucky camp.

 

[hb12xchamps]

I only watched the first period but Siegenthaler didn’t look good at all. Same old same old from him. They had LuJo at RD with Williams out and he didn’t look great in what I caught of his shifts. I don’t understand why they didn’t get Pyett in considering he spent a majority of his career in Grand Rapids and is a RD. The other guy I have to gripe about is Ness. He’s looked bad this year for whatever reason so hopefully he turns it around. Maybe a slight tweak to the system has thrown him off I don’t know.

 

[Holtbyisms]

I only watched the first period but Siegenthaler didn’t look good at all. Same old same old from him. They had LuJo at RD with Williams out and he didn’t look great in what I caught of his shifts. I don’t understand why they didn’t get Pyett in considering he spent a majority of his career in Grand Rapids and is a RD. The other guy I have to gripe about is Ness. He’s looked bad this year for whatever reason so hopefully he turns it around. Maybe a slight tweak to the system has thrown him off I don’t know.

Good thing you stopped watching him after the 1st...he got worse. Here's his turnover. One of the worst I've seen in quite some time. You don't even make that pass in the beer leauge. lol



Fisch said Pyett is likely headed to South Carolina "to get his feet wet". Maybe it's a conditioning thing since he's only played 26 games in the Asian leauge since the 2014-2015 season. Ness had a couple strong shifts in the offensive zone later in the game. Had a Kuznetsov like shift where he circled the entire zone then made a nice dish to somebody who almost scored(can't remember who). I agree though, he's been noticeably rough so far. With such a young team and so few vets we really need him to step it up. Hope we can get one in the W column tonight!

 

[Calicaps]

Good thing you stopped watching him after the 1st...he got worse. Here's his turnover. One of the worst I've seen in quite some time. You don't even make that pass in the beer leauge. lol



Fisch said Pyett is likely headed to South Carolina "to get his feet wet". Maybe it's a conditioning thing since he's only played 26 games in the Asian leauge since the 2014-2015 season. Ness had a couple strong shifts in the offensive zone later in the game. Had a Kuznetsov like shift where he circled the entire zone then made a nice dish to somebody who almost scored(can't remember who). I agree though, he's been noticeably rough so far. With such a young team and so few vets we really need him to step it up. Hope we can get one in the W column tonight!

 

[Holtbyisms]

Vanacek started tonight, Carbery seems intent on alternating him and Samsonov until somebody shines it seems. Lines shuffled again. Bears PK is 54% this season to start the game... Colby Williams still hurt, Barber hurt and is "still being evaluated". Which leads me to believe possible concussion(which sucks). Worst effort of the season tonight and pretty much everyone was bad except a handful of guys. Already starting to wonder is Carbery was the best choice for a group this young given his limited experience(possible overreaction). Bears crushed 5-1 and are now 0-4.

For some reason Morin who has been awful this year is on the first line with Sgarbossa and Gersich. I understand we need to sprinkle vets into this young lineup but not really sure that's where he belongs. Why not Gersich-Sgarbossa-Shumakov?

Fjallby-Pilon-O'Brien back together. This line isn't bad but I really like O'Brein with Pinho and Malenstyn the best thus far. Fjallby has a nice chance off the rush in the first coming down the wing but got his shot blocked. Pilon had a great defensive steal and was in almost alone but got tripped, drew a penalty. Like Pilon's game again tonight.

Shumakov for his two goal effort is dropped to the third line with Pinho and Melenstyn? Malenstyn was himself again. Had a great net drive late in the third coming down the wing with speed. Liked his game in both ends of the ice. Pinho also played well. Shumakov wasn't overly noticeable tonight.

Kammerer stays in the lineup but has a new center(Gustafsson sits) in Derek Haluk(vet, but not technically) and Steven Whitney(vet) on the other wing. Whitney with a really dumb penalty with about 2:30 to go in the 1st. Kammerer had an open net and missed it early in the 2nd. I liked Hulak, might be better served playing him than Morin or Whitney once Ikonen comes back and Megna goes down to Hershey. This was by far the best line tonight even if you don't consider their goal. Kammerer plays like a vet already. I can see him moving up the lineup at some point this season.

Siegenthaler off to a great start...2 minutes in and he fires the puck into the crowd and takes a penalty. I hate to keep riding him but he can't stay on his feet. Every time he gets hit or hits someone else he's on his ass. He was less bad tonight but really the entire team was bad so it's hard to really call any one specific person out.

Gersich now playing on the PK. Had a shorthanded breakaway early and got stopped after making a nice deke to the backhand to try for the five hole. Had another great chance about 6 minutes in and got stopped. God I wish he would pot one so the floodgates would open. Gersich got knee-on-knee'd and no call. Not sure how they missed it. Not hurt though(thankfully).

Shumakov had a nice chance with about 4 to go in the 1st but missed the net. He's still oddly on PP2 instead of PP1 even with Riley Barber injured. Makes no sense. He's calm and collective up a man with the puck on his stick. He looks like the best PP player on the team thus far to me throughout the season yet he's not being utilized. Even last night when he was with Sgarbossa and Fjallby on the 1st line they went back to their unit of Gersich-Sgarbossa and Barber(before he was hurt) on the PP.

Fjallby had a chance to clear the puck right before the first goal on the PK and he passed it to the wrong guy...shortly thereafter Vanacek gave up a bad goal. If he can ever figure out how to skate with the puck he's going to be a reaaaaaaally good player. Several chances tonight to do something but overskated the puck or fumbled it. Been the story with him all season. It's unfortunate though because he's doing most of the other stuff right.

Lewington fought about halfway through the first trying to spark the team. He wrecked for sure, I'd give him the win. At the end of the game lost his cool and crosschecked the guy he fought earlier into his own goalie knocking him down. Tried to come back after him and fight but cooler heads prevailed.

LuJo with a bonehead turnover in front of his own net on the PP, almost cost us a goal.

Hobbs didn't have a great night but neither did the rest of the D. His turnover behind the net that made it a 4 goal game was pretty rough. Nice little slap pass on the goal by Hulak but too late.

Geisser looked pretty stable again. Screened his own goalie once during a netfront battle but beyond that I liked him again. Had a couple "moments" but his range and skating allowed him to cover for his own mistakes and recover the puck then make a smart play thereafter. I feel like he's secured his spot as the #7 on this team unless they're worried that isn't enough ice time and send him to South Carolina to play every night. Talent wise though he belongs in the AHL.

1st Period
0-1: Bad goal, guy banked it in off Vanacek from behind because he wasn't tight enough to the post. Fjallby also partially at fault after passing to the wrong player just before this on the PK when he had all day to clear the puck.

0-2: Hobbs reacted in agony off a point shot on the PK that beat Vanacek. Pretty sure he deflected it past him. Nothing Vanacek could do, dramatic change of direction.

2nd Period
0-3: Wrist shot from the point at even strength. Never saw it, had big Geisser and an Admirals player battling in front of him.

0-4: Hobbs tried to go d-to-d behind the net with a no look backhand pass. Unfortunately it went right to an Admiral who sent it to 1st round pick Tolvanen in the slot(in the center of 4 Bears in box formation) who wristed it past a challenging Vanacek.

0-5: Admiral skated from the halfwall to the blueline with a Bear on his back. Spun around and just whipped it at the net and beat Vanacek. Possible deflection but goal credited to the shooter so if that's the case, gotta get that one. Game already out of hand though and you can see their heads hanging before this one so I'm not surprised.

3rd Period
1-5: Hulak scores in his first game on a nice tip from Kammerer(1st AHL point) off a slap pass from Hobbs.

 

[VaCaps Fan]

Keep us posted about the farm!

 

[maacoshark]

Vanacek started tonight, Carbery seems intent on alternating him and Samsonov until somebody shines it seems. Lines shuffled again. Bears PK is 54% this season to start the game... Colby Williams still hurt, Barber hurt and is "still being evaluated". Which leads me to believe possible concussion(which sucks). Worst effort of the season tonight and pretty much everyone was bad except a handful of guys. Already starting to wonder is Carbery was the best choice for a group this young given his limited experience(possible overreaction). Bears crushed 5-1 and are now 0-4.

For some reason Morin who has been awful this year is on the first line with Sgarbossa and Gersich. I understand we need to sprinkle vets into this young lineup but not really sure that's where he belongs. Why not Gersich-Sgarbossa-Shumakov?

Fjallby-Pilon-O'Brien back together. This line isn't bad but I really like O'Brein with Pinho and Malenstyn the best thus far. Fjallby has a nice chance off the rush in the first coming down the wing but got his shot blocked. Pilon had a great defensive steal and was in almost alone but got tripped, drew a penalty. Like Pilon's game again tonight.

Shumakov for his two goal effort is dropped to the third line with Pinho and Melenstyn? Malenstyn was himself again. Had a great net drive late in the third coming down the wing with speed. Liked his game in both ends of the ice. Pinho also played well. Shumakov wasn't overly noticeable tonight.

Kammerer stays in the lineup but has a new center(Gustafsson sits) in Derek Haluk(vet, but not technically) and Steven Whitney(vet) on the other wing. Whitney with a really dumb penalty with about 2:30 to go in the 1st. Kammerer had an open net and missed it early in the 2nd. I liked Hulak, might be better served playing him than Morin or Whitney once Ikonen comes back and Megna goes down to Hershey. This was by far the best line tonight even if you don't consider their goal. Kammerer plays like a vet already. I can see him moving up the lineup at some point this season.

Siegenthaler off to a great start...2 minutes in and he fires the puck into the crowd and takes a penalty. I hate to keep riding him but he can't stay on his feet. Every time he gets hit or hits someone else he's on his ass. He was less bad tonight but really the entire team was bad so it's hard to really call any one specific person out.

Gersich now playing on the PK. Had a shorthanded breakaway early and got stopped after making a nice deke to the backhand to try for the five hole. Had another great chance about 6 minutes in and got stopped. God I wish he would pot one so the floodgates would open. Gersich got knee-on-knee'd and no call. Not sure how they missed it. Not hurt though(thankfully).

Shumakov had a nice chance with about 4 to go in the 1st but missed the net. He's still oddly on PP2 instead of PP1 even with Riley Barber injured. Makes no sense. He's calm and collective up a man with the puck on his stick. He looks like the best PP player on the team thus far to me throughout the season yet he's not being utilized. Even last night when he was with Sgarbossa and Fjallby on the 1st line they went back to their unit of Gersich-Sgarbossa and Barber(before he was hurt) on the PP.

Fjallby had a chance to clear the puck right before the first goal on the PK and he passed it to the wrong guy...shortly thereafter Vanacek gave up a bad goal. If he can ever figure out how to skate with the puck he's going to be a reaaaaaaally good player. Several chances tonight to do something but overskated the puck or fumbled it. Been the story with him all season. It's unfortunate though because he's doing most of the other stuff right.

Lewington fought about halfway through the first trying to spark the team. He wrecked for sure, I'd give him the win. At the end of the game lost his cool and crosschecked the guy he fought earlier into his own goalie knocking him down. Tried to come back after him and fight but cooler heads prevailed.

LuJo with a bonehead turnover in front of his own net on the PP, almost cost us a goal.

Hobbs didn't have a great night but neither did the rest of the D. His turnover behind the net that made it a 4 goal game was pretty rough. Nice little slap pass on the goal by Hulak but too late.

Geisser looked pretty stable again. Screened his own goalie once during a netfront battle but beyond that I liked him again. Had a couple "moments" but his range and skating allowed him to cover for his own mistakes and recover the puck then make a smart play thereafter. I feel like he's secured his spot as the #7 on this team unless they're worried that isn't enough ice time and send him to South Carolina to play every night. Talent wise though he belongs in the AHL.

1st Period
0-1: Bad goal, guy banked it in off Vanacek from behind because he wasn't tight enough to the post. Fjallby also partially at fault after passing to the wrong player just before this on the PK when he had all day to clear the puck.

0-2: Hobbs reacted in agony off a point shot on the PK that beat Vanacek. Pretty sure he deflected it past him. Nothing Vanacek could do, dramatic change of direction.

2nd Period
0-3: Wrist shot from the point at even strength. Never saw it, had big Geisser and an Admirals player battling in front of him.

0-4: Hobbs tried to go d-to-d behind the net with a no look backhand pass. Unfortunately it went right to an Admiral who sent it to 1st round pick Tolvanen in the slot(in the center of 4 Bears in box formation) who wristed it past a challenging Vanacek.

0-5: Admiral skated from the halfwall to the blueline with a Bear on his back. Spun around and just whipped it at the net and beat Vanacek. Possible deflection but goal credited to the shooter so if that's the case, gotta get that one. Game already out of hand though and you can see their heads hanging before this one so I'm not surprised.

3rd Period
1-5: Hulak scores in his first game on a nice tip from Kammerer(1st AHL point) off a slap pass from Hobbs.

Good work on keeping us updated on our prospects. Surprised Seigenhaler is struggling. Reirden gave him a lot of praise. Maybe he isnt ready for the NHL.
Which of our prospects do you think are closest to being ready for the jump to the NHL?

 

[Holtbyisms]

Gametime 5PM. Megna finally in Hershey, he'll be a HUGE help to this young team. Also nice to see Shumakov on that top line like I hinted at last night and Kammerer getting moved up two lines to play on the second. I think that's a good move as he's been one of the better and more steady forwards through the first 4 games. Only winless team left, really need to get one tonight. Pyett gets his first game tonight. Hopefully he's not too rusty. Been since 2012-2013 since he's played in the AHL. Had a few KHL seasons and one Asian season last year but missed a lot of time due a cancer battle.

 

[Holtbyisms]

Good work on keeping us updated on our prospects. Surprised Seigenhaler is struggling. Reirden gave him a lot of praise. Maybe he isnt ready for the NHL.
Which of our prospects do you think are closest to being ready for the jump to the NHL?

Thanks, I'll try to keep it going all year. No promises though. :p I'd say my top 5 in no particular order are Kammerer, Pinho, Shumakov, Gersich, Malenstyn. On the blueline you've got Lewington, Johansen and Colby Williams. No indication of how successful I think anyone is going to be this is just more of who I think is currently the closest.

 

[maacoshark]

Thanks, I'll try to keep it going all year. No promises though. :p I'd say my top 5 in no particular order are Kammerer, Pinho, Shumakov, Gersich, Malenstyn. On the blueline you've got Lewington, Johansen and Colby Williams. No indication of how successful I think anyone is going to be this is just more of who I think is currently the closest.

Doesnt sound very promising.

 

[Cush]

Hershey loses....again. Maybe they should start drafting forwards with top 6 potential?