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

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hb12xchamps

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Only team in the AHL with zero wins and zero points. To make matters worse, Shumakov was injured during today’s game. That leaves him and Barber out and both are big parts of the offense. It’s very early, but being 0-5 is embarrassing and a huge fall from grace for Hershey’s standards.

Hopefully adding Megna gives them a much needed offensive boost once he gets acclimated to everyone. Looks like dumpster diving for cheap AHL reclamation projects in the hopes that they can add some scoring touch was a bad decision (Pyett, Morin, Hulak). This is going to be a very long season
 
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Langway

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Hershey loses....again. Maybe they should start drafting forwards with top 6 potential?
This for sure. Hershey also misses Yingst it seems. It's gone down ever since he left, although the Caps haven't helped a huge amount either.

I also tend to doubt the prospect D's ultimate upside if they can't spearhead wins at the AHL level. That's supposed to be their strength and yet it never really seems all that evident. It was maybe a bit much to ask last season as rookies but nonetheless their inability to dominate (or anything close to it) makes me wonder if there's any real quality there. That takes time to some extent to develop but not as much as it used to.
 
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Holtbyisms

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Megna in the lineup to help the kids. He had some great shifts, especially in the third period. Bears were the more offensive team all night which was encouraging given their lack of shots and offensive zone time so far this season. Thought overall this was our best effort of the season from start to finish despite another loss. Penalty Kill continues to struggle...got to figure something out there. I hated the good goal call after the review on the Ice Hogs third goal. Too many chances from high scoring areas. The defense has got to try and get people to the outside. They're skating right down the slot in waves. Defense needs to get more aggressive and by a mile, that includes the forwards backchecking. Fantastic moment near the end of the game...refs blow the play dead for too many men on the ice...because he didn't realize Herhsey pulled the goalie. ugh lol Hershey loses again at 5-2 now 0-5...definitely not a good way to start the season. How short of a leash does this coaching staff have I wonder.

Pinho had a tremendous individual effort in the last 10 seconds of the first period. He skated into the defensive pairing, split them and made a nice power move to try and score. Got stopped but what an effort.

Shumakov not on the first line almost right away, looks like he's been replaced with Whitney. Pretty sure I only saw him take one shift with Sgarbossa and Gersich. Confirmed between periods 2 and 3 via Zack Fisch that he will not return due to an upper body injury. Crap news, hope he's not long term injured.

Gersich thought he scored and raised his arms as is bounced off the post in the second... Man is he snake bit so far. Gersich also had a great play on a 4 on 4 in the second period.

Pilon rang one off the post during a 4 on 4. Had a nice pass to O'Brien for his goal. He had a pretty decent all around game though.

Samsonov didn't see much action in the first period. Made a fancy glove save on the PP early in the second. Rough third goal, bobbled a dump in shot that was then kicked into the net...no idea how after a review they said this was a good goal. Made a huge glove save on a breakaway to keep the game in reach with about 2:30 to go in the second period. Three of the four he gave up we just poor coverage and left him in a bad spot.

LuJo got banged up in the first period and missed a few shifts. He returned for the second period.

Fjallby with a nice offensive rush into the zone to create the Bears second goal. LuJo got the puck to Pilon who made a great pass to O'Brien who scores on a shot from the slot/right circle. Thought AJF had his best game of the season by a mile. He contributed offensively a number of times and didn't look like he was stickhandling a grenade all night.

Malenstyn picked up his first pro point on a goal by Lewington. He also set a pretty solid screen on the goal. Got a bunch of shots on net.

Kammerer looked steady again with more ice time and made a good pass to Lewington for his goal.

Siegenthaler with another bad turnover in front of his own net with about 9:15 to go in the second. He continued to look really shaky all night with the puck on his stick.

Lewington standing up for Sgarbossa who was in turn standing up for Whitney(who got crushed behind the net). No fight but a scrum ensued. Lewington had a goal on a nice one time.

Hobbs has a decent night I though. Got a lot of pucks on net and played strong in his own zone at even strength. Feel like the lack of backchecking is really making a lot of the D look terrible. Particularly him and Johansen tonight.


1st Period
0-1: Nice passing play by Rockford. LuJo and Hobbs on the ice for this one and were able to take their men, unfortunately Pilon was slow on the backcheck and just a step behind the goal scorer who had a wide open late to the net and beat Samsonov with a great shot.

1-1: Lewington chopped a one timer from the point perfectly top shelf. Nice pass from Kammerer below the goalline to him for the shot. Such a slow shot but somehow found its way into the net. Malenstyn slides right into the goalies line of sight at the perfect time and distracted him while waving at the puck for a missed deflection.

2nd Period
1-2: One timer on a east-west pass across the crease on the PK. Fired it top shelf glove side on Samsonov. He didn't have much of a chance here. He was wide open in the faceoff dot. Seems like they forgot about him. This PK is awful so far no matter what personnel is on the ice. Makes me question the system they're running.

2-2: Fjallby with a nice offensive rush into the zone, LuJo got the puck to Pilon who made a great pass to O'Brien who scores on a shot from the slot.

2-3: Samsonov fumbles the puck on an easy flip shot as a player was going off for a change. A gassed Ice Hogs player kicks the puck into the net on his way by the net to loop back for a line change. Play was reviewed for a kick in...I'm pretty sure this was a no-goal but after looking at it they determined he skated into the puck and there was no kicking motion. As far as I'm concerned this was a garbage call by the refs. Doesn't change the fact Samsonov has to handle the initial shot better though.

3rd Period
2-4 Another east-west one timer goes in. It was basically a 2-0 down low. Just a coverage breakdown. Nothing Samsonov could do here.

2-5: Empty netter, Sgarbossa stripped trying to leave his own zone. Lazy play. If he wants to be a leader this certainly isn't the way to do it.
 

Sam Spade

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

If you aren't picking in the top ten that is pretty hard to do. When the Caps have picked in the top 11 in the Ovechkin era they have struck gold forward wise. They also managed to snag a pretty decent forward with a late 1st rounder in 2010. Of course there are exceptions, and really good players like Kucherov who slide to the 2nd round, but not as many first liners as you might think slip down.

2006 - Backstrom at 4
2010 - Kuzy at 26
2012 - Forsberg at 11 :(:cry:
2013 - Burakovsky, basically a bust at pick 23 but it's not like any forward taken after him is doing anything either. Maybe Guentzal but he was taken 77th so that was a lot of luck.
2014 - Vrana at 13, too early to tell. Looking at who was taken after him, beyond Pastrnak, who 24 teams passed on, no one stands out that would make Vrana a mistake. You might say Fabbri but guy is hurt all the time so would rather have Vrana.

After that, beyond Pilon, it's all defense and goalies in the 1st two rounds.

We all want it to be easy but when you are a top team it is damn hard.
 
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hb12xchamps

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This for sure. Hershey also misses Yingst it seems. It's gone down ever since he left, although the Caps haven't helped a huge amount either.

I also tend to doubt the prospect D's ultimate upside if they can't spearhead wins at the AHL level. That's supposed to be their strength and yet it never really seems all that evident. It was maybe a bit much to ask last season as rookies but nonetheless their inability to dominate (or anything close to it) makes me wonder if there's any real quality there. That takes time to some extent to develop but not as much as it used to.
I think the difference between the Yingst era and the Helmer era is that Yingst had the balls to push back at the Caps management. His vision was that supplementing the young guys with some proven AHL veterans would help the development of the Caps prospects and IMO that model worked tremendously. Part of the Caps Stanley Cup win came from Yingst era guys and he has a ton of guys sprinkled throughout the NHL. The model also seemed to work in Mann’s first year as head coach when the team definitely overachieved and went to the CC finals. There was an incoming class of young guns that were mentored by AHL veterans and even Scott Gomez.

For whatever reason Caps management seems to think that route isn’t sustainable. I disagree not because I want to see a winning product, but because I’ve seen AHL teams with all prospects that have struggled for years and barely have guys graduate to the NHL. Toronto’s farm team just won the Calder Cup and used the old Hershey model. They had a bunch of guys graduate to the Leafs this year.

It’s going to be a struggle this year. The potential is definitely there but they are very very young with a relatively unproven coaching staff. Am I still going to cheer the team on? Hell yeah, but I know Hershey and they will turn on this team very quickly. They don’t want to endure another season like last years.
 
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VaCaps Fan

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Thanks for the detailed info in this thread. About to become a Hershey fan. (Saw then play the AHL Norfolk admirals in 2013!)
 

Hivemind

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If you aren't picking in the top ten that is pretty hard to do. When the Caps have picked in the top 11 in the Ovechkin era they have struck gold forward wise. They also managed to snag a pretty decent forward with a late 1st rounder in 2010. Of course there are exceptions, and really good players like Kucherov who slide to the 2nd round, but not as many first liners as you might think slip down.

2006 - Backstrom at 4
2010 - Kuzy at 26
2012 - Forsberg at 11 :(:cry:
2013 - Burakovsky, basically a bust at pick 23 but it's not like any forward taken after him is doing anything either. Maybe Guentzal but he was taken 77th so that was a lot of luck.
2014 - Vrana at 13, too early to tell. Looking at who was taken after him, beyond Pastrnak, who 24 teams passed on, no one stands out that would make Vrana a mistake. You might say Fabbri but guy is hurt all the time so would rather have Vrana.

After that, beyond Pilon, it's all defense and goalies in the 1st two rounds.

We all want it to be easy but when you are a top team it is damn hard.

Top six potential, not guaranteed top six guys. This thread is largely lamenting on the complete lack of offensive talent in Hershey, even at the AHL level. There's plenty of prospects who can fit that bill available outside of the top 10, the Caps have just had an aversion to picking them over the past several drafts. Instead they've favored defensemen, grinders, and a heavy bias towards NCAA and Euro prospects. I ranted about this prior to the 2017 draft.

There are numerous offensive prospects available in the 2nd round and beyond. The Capitals favored guys like Kody Clark over Akil Thomas, Jake Wise, and Kirill Marchenko in the 2018 draft, for instance. And that was the first time since 2014 that they picked a forward in the top four rounds of the NHL draft, period. For the past several seasons, the Capitals have unambiguously favored other areas in their farm system compared to offensively gifted forwards. There's a reason their leading offensive foreces in Hershey are a 2012 6th rounder and a KHL expat.
 

Langway

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And that was the first time since 2014 that they picked a forward in the top four rounds of the NHL draft, period.
There's Pilon but, yeah, it's pretty suspect when laid out like that. They did lack picks in 2017 but top three round picks of Pilon, Clark & Sutter are third-line type upside picks at best. There's been a clear bent toward scrappier types rather than pure skill outside of maybe Marthinsen and that was a pure late round flier probably unlikely to help much even at the AHL level.

MacLellan has very recently talked about maybe moving one of the defensemen for a forward should the opportunity present itself but such situations can't be relied upon and they're probably unlikely to acquire anyone without their share of concerns. I get sticking to their board but the board itself probably needs to be scrutinized more thoroughly and there should be a slight re-prioritizing in light of what they do have on hand. Clark over one of the many more higher upside options is the most egregious recent example and Clark early on isn't rewarding that choice. Sutter should probably be considered the better prospect IMO and that's a tough assessment given just how early that pick was and who was available.

The big problem with this very severe lack of upside options is it puts zero pressure on Vrana and Burakovsky. Burakovsky should be on thin ice regardless--even to the point of being a non-QO candidate potentially--but there being nothing of note behind him along with other potential UFA losses could lead to him being given yet more chances he may not rightfully have earned. They've managed to scrounge around for Connolly, DSP and are giving Jaskin a shot but it's hard to repeatedly rely on castoffs. Healthier internal competition pushes everyone and without it development isn't as aggressive and players may not be kept as accountable. They're bound to revert back to picking them early again but there may be a significant gap in the meantime.
 

Sam Spade

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There are numerous offensive prospects available in the 2nd round and beyond. The Capitals favored guys like Kody Clark over Akil Thomas, Jake Wise, and Kirill Marchenko in the 2018 draft, for instance. And that was the first time since 2014 that they picked a forward in the top four rounds of the NHL draft, period. For the past several seasons, the Capitals have unambiguously favored other areas in their farm system compared to offensively gifted forwards. There's a reason their leading offensive foreces in Hershey are a 2012 6th rounder and a KHL expat.

As I listed in my post, they picked Pilon in round 3 (#87) in 2016.

And you may be correct about picking Clark (I would have taken Thomas, but he fell for a reason) over someone else, but who really knows who will be better or even make it at all?

For the record I'm not disagreeing about lack of forward depth, it sucks, but they just won the Cup and never pick high so you get what you get. Also, I think Alexeyev was a steal at 31.
 

Ajax1995

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I’m not sure I agree that they should start taking guys they think have less of a chance of making it. I guess if they have them rated really close then maybe but you put your board together the way you did for a reason and IMO you should stick with it.

I’m completely good with the idea of signing better AHL players to fill the gaps and make them a more competitive team. I also think the new guys will likely improve once they settle in but it looks rough now.
 
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NobodyBeatsTheWiz

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It is not difficult to draft forwards with top-6 potential when picking late in the first. My issue is more with the organization's shunning of the center position. They've passed on centers with top-6 potential again and again:

2018: McLeod, Drury, Thomas, BOG, Wise, Lauko
2017: No picks until the 4th, so they get a pass, somewhat.
2016: Frederic, Steel (UGH), Asplund, Kyrou
2015: Konecny, Beauvillier, Roslovic, Forsbacka-Karlsson

I think the organization is much stronger beyond the NHL level with Benoit-Olivier Groulx, Sam Steel, and Travis Konecny, rather than Martein Fehervary, Lucas Johansson, amf Ilya Samsonov.
 
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Sam Spade

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2015 - Samsanov was absolutely the right call.

You may be correct about the rest, but we won't know for about five seasons.
 

Hivemind

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I have zero issue with taking the Best Player Available at each draft pick, regardless of position. But when their scotuing and evaluation methods consistently lead to defensemen and future grinders being seen as the BPA, I think they may need to recalibrate what characteristics they're valuing. The stylistic pendulum shift is pretty dramatic compared to who they were drafting between 2004-2013 (although their newer drafting priorities were starting to become apparent in 2011-2013 as they shifted towards NCAA development tracks and "character" players).

Their previously Euro-centric early round picks did hurt Hershey somewhat, but they were pretty consistent in their late 1st round forward picks (with Gustafsson being the only outright bust and Burakovsky being somewhat questionable). Even outside of the 1st round, they had previously been willing to take shots at skilled guys like Galiev, Kugryshev, Bouchard, and Bourque in those mid-rounds (all of which tracked through Hershey, with Bourque becoming one of the greatest players in the franchise's history).

Starting around 2011-ish, their draft priorities started shifting more towards "character"-type forwards and guys with an NCAA development track. Maybe that's where they felt they had a scouting advantage, or maybe it was an organizational re-evalaution of what type of prospects they valued. I don't know. 2011 itself is a little hard to judge, since they didn't pick until the 4th round. But they didn't take a single Canadian, instead opting for a Norwegian goalie and 3 NCAA prospects. 2012 they obviously spent the 16th overall pick on Tom Wilson (who has panned out to be a useful NHLer, no doubt), followed by Chandler Stephenson in the 3rd and then four consecutive NCAA picks*. 2013 saw them trade up for relative unknown, NCAA-tracked Zach Sanford. 2014 had the Walker trade, who was an overager that they were already very familiar with and knew would likely top out as a checking/energy winger. The two picks that followed him were both NCAA-tracked. They've shifted a little bit back towards Canadiens in the past few drafts, but they had doubled down on the checking forward and defense prioritizations.

*Connor Carrick was committed to Michigan at the time, but later changed his plans to go to the OHL.

They should continue picking who they feel is the Best Available, but they need to retune how they determine the best available player is.

As an aside, alot of the guys in NBTW's post were already viewed as likely wingers at the times of their draft (namely Kyrou, Konecny).
 
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Hivemind

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Also, as a general principle, I really oppose trading up past the early portions of the 2nd round. Certainly you're at the mercy of your draft board to make individual decisions, but I generally favor quantity over quality when it comes to prospects after the surefire early picks. I don't particularly like thinning the prospect pool with the trades up for Vanecek, Walker, and Sanford.
 

Holtbyisms

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I have zero issue with taking the Best Player Available at each draft pick, regardless of position. But when their scotuing and evaluation methods consistently lead to defensemen and future grinders being seen as the BPA, I think they may need to recalibrate what characteristics they're valuing. The stylistic pendulum shift is pretty dramatic compared to who they were drafting between 2004-2013 (although their newer drafting priorities were starting to become apparent in 2011-2013 as they shifted towards NCAA development tracks and "character" players).

Their previously Euro-centric early round picks did hurt Hershey somewhat, but they were pretty consistent in their late 1st round forward picks (with Gustafsson being the only outright bust and Burakovsky being somewhat questionable). Even outside of the 1st round, they had previously been willing to take shots at skilled guys like Galiev, Kugryshev, Bouchard, and Bourque in those mid-rounds (all of which tracked through Hershey, with Bourque becoming one of the greatest players in the franchise's history).

Starting around 2011-ish, their draft priorities started shifting more towards "character"-type forwards and guys with an NCAA development track. Maybe that's where they felt they had a scouting advantage, or maybe it was an organizational re-evalaution of what type of prospects they valued. I don't know. 2011 itself is a little hard to judge, since they didn't pick until the 4th round. But they didn't take a single Canadian, instead opting for a Norwegian goalie and 3 NCAA prospects. 2012 they obviously spent the 16th overall pick on Tom Wilson (who has panned out to be a useful NHLer, no doubt), followed by Chandler Stephenson in the 3rd and then four consecutive NCAA picks*. 2013 saw them trade up for relative unknown, NCAA-tracked Zach Sanford. 2014 had the Walker trade, who was an overager that they were already very familiar with and knew would likely top out as a checking/energy winger. The two picks that followed him were both NCAA-tracked. They've shifted a little bit back towards Canadiens in the past few drafts, but they had doubled down on the checking forward and defense prioritizations.

*Connor Carrick was committed to Michigan at the time, but later changed his plans to go to the OHL.

They should continue picking who they feel is the Best Available, but they need to retune how they determine the best available player is.

As an aside, alot of the guys in NBTW's post were already viewed as likely wingers at the times of their draft (namely Kyrou, Konecny).
The only thing I've seen them really commit to had been speed. I don't think they've gone "character" at all. Looking at Hershey this year it's very obvious they've made it a point to go speed, speed, speed in the past few drafts. While we might currently be the worst team in the AHL we're probably the fastest. Management saw the NHL changing and they went after speed to compensate. I know we just won our first game(I'll do my thoughts on it later) but they're super fast and have a ton of potential based on speed and the possibilities that their offensive game will grow as the season moves on. I think it will. Hershey will get better as the season goes along and quite honestly I think if they age appropriately they could be a team to look out for, especially if some of the more offensive players find their grove like Gersich, Pilon, Shumakov(once healthy). Those three alone could put up a boatload of points. I think Pinho is a darkhorse to be an AHL stud.
 
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Hivemind

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The only thing I've seen them really commit to had been speed. I don't think they've gone "character" at all. Looking at Hershey this year it's very obvious they've made it a point to go speed, speed, speed in the past few drafts. While we might currently be the worst team in the AHL we're probably the fastest. Management saw the NHL changing and they went after speed to compensate. I know we just won our first game(I'll do my thoughts on it later) but they're super fast and have a ton of potential based on speed and the possibilities that their offensive game will grow as the season moves on. I think it will. Hershey will get better as the season goes along and quite honestly I think if they age appropriately they could be a team to look out for, especially if some of the more offensive players find their grove like Gersich, Pilon, Shumakov(once healthy). Those three alone could put up a boatload of points. I think Pinho is a darkhorse to be an AHL stud.

Gersich, AJF, Walker, and Stephenson were speed picks. And Hershey is definitely faster than they used to be, overall. But the Caps have also prioritized drafting grit and heart guys like Siegenthaler, Sutter, Clark, Malentsyn, and even Pinho. There's definitely a wave of players in Hershey and about to arrive in Hershey that thrive on making contact and earn their keep with their hustle and work ethic more than their raw talent.

Granted, there's a certain amount of overlap between the speed and grit types here. Walker is a heart/hustle/energy guy, and AJF may also end up as one at the NHL level. Sutter has pretty good straightaway speed. Even going back to Tom Wilson, he's got great straightaway speed integrated into his game. I also think the simple, North/South playstyle of a lot of the grit forwards ends up making for "faster" hockey than some of the Euro-style forwards that like to slow down the game. Think of how the Tortarella Rangers were typically regarded as a fast team, largely because of how quickly they got on the forecheck.
 

maacoshark

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I have zero issue with taking the Best Player Available at each draft pick, regardless of position. But when their scotuing and evaluation methods consistently lead to defensemen and future grinders being seen as the BPA, I think they may need to recalibrate what characteristics they're valuing. The stylistic pendulum shift is pretty dramatic compared to who they were drafting between 2004-2013 (although their newer drafting priorities were starting to become apparent in 2011-2013 as they shifted towards NCAA development tracks and "character" players).

Their previously Euro-centric early round picks did hurt Hershey somewhat, but they were pretty consistent in their late 1st round forward picks (with Gustafsson being the only outright bust and Burakovsky being somewhat questionable). Even outside of the 1st round, they had previously been willing to take shots at skilled guys like Galiev, Kugryshev, Bouchard, and Bourque in those mid-rounds (all of which tracked through Hershey, with Bourque becoming one of the greatest players in the franchise's history).

Starting around 2011-ish, their draft priorities started shifting more towards "character"-type forwards and guys with an NCAA development track. Maybe that's where they felt they had a scouting advantage, or maybe it was an organizational re-evalaution of what type of prospects they valued. I don't know. 2011 itself is a little hard to judge, since they didn't pick until the 4th round. But they didn't take a single Canadian, instead opting for a Norwegian goalie and 3 NCAA prospects. 2012 they obviously spent the 16th overall pick on Tom Wilson (who has panned out to be a useful NHLer, no doubt), followed by Chandler Stephenson in the 3rd and then four consecutive NCAA picks*. 2013 saw them trade up for relative unknown, NCAA-tracked Zach Sanford. 2014 had the Walker trade, who was an overager that they were already very familiar with and knew would likely top out as a checking/energy winger. The two picks that followed him were both NCAA-tracked. They've shifted a little bit back towards Canadiens in the past few drafts, but they had doubled down on the checking forward and defense prioritizations.

*Connor Carrick was committed to Michigan at the time, but later changed his plans to go to the OHL.

They should continue picking who they feel is the Best Available, but they need to retune how they determine the best available player is.

As an aside, alot of the guys in NBTW's post were already viewed as likely wingers at the times of their draft (namely Kyrou, Konecny).
Speaking of Gustafsson. What was his story? He played 1 game for Hershey. He had 2 assists in that game. Then went back to Sweden.
I heard that he didnt want to play in the ECHL.
I know he is considered a bust. I dont really consider the player a bust if he decides to leave.
 

Sam Spade

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Speaking of Gustafsson. What was his story? He played 1 game for Hershey. He had 2 assists in that game. Then went back to Sweden.
I heard that he didnt want to play in the ECHL.
I know he is considered a bust. I dont really consider the player a bust if he decides to leave.

He was cuckoo for cocoa puffs from what I heard. I expect a Players Tribune article any year about his battle with mental illness.
 

Holtbyisms

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Friday's game against WBS thoughts...Bear's look like a completely different team. Christian Jarry looks rusty, Zack Fisch mentioned it too. Still working through his injury rehab I would imagine util he heads to the NHL to replace DeSmith. Bindulis in action for the first time tonight and Pyett stays in. LuJo, Shumakov, Barber, Samsonov and Williams all out due to injury. :( Thought the first period was wide open and run and gun style. Definitely played into the young Bears hands. Second period was way more of a grind. Lots of stop and start hockey. Still good chances both ways but it just felt like a long period due to the style. Third period started out really sketchy, mostly due to the Pens being on the PP twice very early. All in all, obviously their best game(since they finally won). I liked that they kept the Pens mostly to the outside. They got a ton of shots on Vanacek but they weren't from those high scoring areas like I've seen in the first five games.


Vanacek was pretty decent in the first. Didn't see much until a huge flurry around 5 to go in the 1st. He made a few nice stops there and kept the game 1-0. Pens had a PP later in the second period and Vanacek was again really good making a handful of good saves in a short period. He was really good in the third and I'd definitely give him one of my stars of the game. Made 40 saves tonight. Needed to have an outstanding performance from a goaltender to get us over the hump and this game was it.

Whitney-Gersich-Sgarbossa-Hobbs-Ness on the PP1 unit. Looks like they've simplified it quite a bit. Bombs from the point from Hobbs and crash for rebounds.

Gersich-Sgarbossa-Fjallby
AJF has definitely had some jump. Scored a really pretty goal on a 2 on 1 where he took matters into his own hands instead of passing. He had another great rush about 8 minutes in and used his speed to almost create a 2 on 1 after a nice flip pass by Gersich. Threw a wild pass across the crease that amounted to no shot on goal. Fjallby made a nice defensive play with about 16:30 to go in the second where he backchecked a wideopen Pen in front of the net and prevented a grade A scoring chance. He was IMO easily Hershey's best player tonight. He had multiple great scoring chances and setup a few great chances while scoring the first goal of his pro career.

Gersich had a great chance in the slot and just fired it right into the goalies crest. Had a number of good shots but still snakebitten. One of these days he'll score...hopefully tonight!

Malenstyn-Megna-Pilon
Pilon has a good chance about 5 minutes in. Spun the net and tried to roof it. Fired it high. Also did a good job to beat out an icing call while a group of tired Bears were in the middle of a line change.

Love Malenstyn's game. He's quickly turning into one of my favorite players on the Bears team. He initiates contact every chance he gets and his straight line speed is tremendous. Not afraid to take a hit to make a play. Laid out on his stomach to make a great clear on the PK in the early moments of the third period. Malenstyn on a different PK stole the puck behind the net of the Pens and center to an open Megna who was robbed. At the end of the game with the Pens goalie pulled he was awesome blocking shots, including one with his face after giving his stick to Ness(who broke his).

O'Brien-Pinho-Whitney
Second time I've seen Pinho make this power move where he splits the D and drives the net. This one wasn't as clean as the first but very similar move. He drops the shoulder, protects the puck and just slams through both defenders as they come together on him. Somehow comes out of it cradling the puck still and tries to pull it back hand. He was stopped again but this is a nice little move of his.

O'Brein with a goal on a wrist shot coming down the wing. Bad goal by a rusty goalie but nice for the Bears!

Kammerer-Gustafsson-Hulak
Gustafsson had a great chance right out front of the Pens net on a bad turnover.

I Like Hulak he's a decent utility player who seems to be able to play all 3 forward spots.

Kammerer with a beauty of a play that led to a great chance between Hulak and Gustafsson down low. Kammerer had what LOOKED like a beautiful cross crease pass to Megna who scored in a wide open net. I think he whiffed on a one-time though haha. If it was a slap pass and not a whiff, it was a thing of beauty. Either way it goes down as a goal for Megna and a primary assist for Kammerer. Now has an assist in three straight games.


Lewington-Bindulis
Lewington took a penalty in the 1st period on a bad call. Him and Bindulis came together and crunched a Pen trying to split them. They called a hold on it. Don't think his hands ever left his stick.

Bindulis was pretty steady. Didn't notice him good or bad which isn't a bad thing.

Hobbs-Ness
Hobbs with a nice rush into the offensive zone at about the halfway mark of the second. Nice little drop pass to Gersich who almost got one in off the tip of the glove of the Pens goalie. Thought Hobbs had his best game of the season as well. He was active in the offensive zone, physical in his own and didn't make any of the risky plays he's known for. Got a lot of rubber towards the net and picked up an assist on O'Brien's goal.

Siegenthaler-Pyett
Siegenthaler had his best game of the season. Nothing flashing but he didn't do anything overly stupid. Siegenthaler was called for a delay of game even though he only fired the puck into the Bears bench...shit call. Then they send Pyett to the box instead of him. lol

Pyett picked up a secondary on Megna's goal. Good for him, he's a great comeback story.= and if you haven't read about it, you should.

First Period
1-0: What a freaking shot by Fjallby, his skating made the play a 2 on 1 and then he just roofed it top shelf glove side instead of making the pass. Puck got up in a hurry and fast. Lewington with the assist.

Second Period
2-0: Liam O'Brein with a wrist shot coming down the wing. Hobbs made a really good defensive play at his own blueline to prevent the entry from the Pens and send Hershey running the other way. Assist to Hobbs.

Third Period
2-1: Pens just threw the puck on the net and crashed, few players swiped at it and one was able to knock the puck past Vanacek's outstretched leg.

2-2: Simple wrist shot from the left point on the PP. Beautiful deflection just chipped it by Vanacek, nothing he could do. Disgusting blown call put them on the PP. How is it delay of game if the puck is in the bench not the stands?

3-2: Megna scores with the lines a little jumbled up due to a partial line change. Pyett sent the puck down low and Max Kammerer tried to onetime it to the net, looks like he whiffed(maybe?) a bit and it turned into a picture perfect cross crease pass to wide open Megna who buried it into an empty net.
 

Holtbyisms

Matt Irwin is a legit talent
Jul 1, 2012
6,915
3,574
Bedford, PA
Oops I put Fridays game...that was earlier in the week. Haven't had a chance to watch Fridays game yet! Maybe I can catch up tonight if the bar doesn't get too much fun for me!
 
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