Thanks for the write up.Here's a few of my thoughts from today's scrimmage:
It was the first one I've attended, so I didn't really know what to expect. Since it was 4 on 4, the pace was decent, and it benefited some of the better skaters.
Ritchie: He is a definitely as big as advertised and I think he'll be great down the road. He's got good hands, made a few nice passes, but I didn't get to see his shot, which looks great on video. He skates really well for a big man, but his top end speed looked just okay. He had a few semi-breakaways and was caught both times by Manson rather easily. I definitely like his aggressiveness and his drive to the net. Good along the boards, but he had at least 20lbs on most people there. IMO, he was coasting a lot in the 2nd half and looked a bit tired, so his conditioning needs to improve big time. If his conditioning improves and he impresses at the main camp, he might get a game or two, but I think he's at least a year away.
Theodore: I liked his game a lot, and it seems like he might've bulked up a little. He's obviously a plus skater and puck handler, but I was impressed with his defense. I really liked how well he used his stick to defend and how he took good angles.
Montour: The potential home run pick looked good too, maybe like a larger Sami Vatanen. Not as flashy, but you can tell he has really good offensive instincts. He drives to the net following the play, and the puck seems to find him. I didn't really notice him too much on defense, but I don't seem to recall him getting beat badly at any point.
O'Brien: I never seen any film of this guy, so I was left impressed with how well he skated for such a big guy. He had a few nice outlet passes, as well as one bad one. He also tried to skate the puck out from behind his own net and got caught once. He then proceeded to give the guy a shot when he was down on the ice. He also had a nice check on someone later in the game. With all of the PMD we have, guys like him and Manson could earn themselves a spot eventually.
Manson: "Charlie" had a good game and a bad game. He whiffed on a glorious chance in the slot when he pinched down, which led to a breakaway for Ritchie, who he caught. Ritchie almost skidded into Bobkov going full speed. Manson also took a nice angle on a forward and pushed him into the boards. The lack of checking in a game like this probably hurts a guy like Manson who likes the physical aspects, but he did okay. He also trolled Laganiere pretty good on a penalty shot. I'm curious to see how Manson does in Norfolk next year.
Kerdiles: After reading about how he was the best player on the ice by a wide margin on Friday, I expected a little more. He was still really good, but not excellent. He dropped his glove and Laganiere slashed him on his bare hand, which stung him, and I think kind of pissed him off. He's a good skater, made some nice passes, and he has a laser wrister. That goal he scored good Lord. Top shelf short side. I don't see him beating anyone on the roster for a center spot right away, but I think we'll see him very soon.
Petterson: Lots of potential, but IMO more of longer term project, which is fine, especially since he's just learning the position. He skates well, and used his reach well a few times, but he made one really bad pass up the middle of the ice. He also obviously needs to put on a lot of weight if he ever wants to make it in the NHL. He got rag-dolled by Ritchie once, which is to be expected. He also to a puck to the chin, put came back pretty quickly.
Noesen: Stefan looked pretty darn good, but I guess that's to be expected, since he's a bit older than most of the kids there. He's fast, aggressive, and has good hands. He had once shot that beat the goalie, but trickled behind him and off the post. He drove to net hard and drove a lot of the play. I expect good things from him down in the A.
Kase: I was pleasantly surprised with this kid. I definitely don't understand how he fell to the 7th round. He can dangle with the best of them. He set up Kerdiles right in front of the net, but Kerdiles couldn't finish. He didn't stand out physically, but I didn't see him lose any board battles decisively. He was more than willing to stick his nose in there, which is a great sign. He looks like great value, hopefully he continues to progress. Also, interesting to have a Czech player on the team, seems like it's been awhile.
Roy: I tried to keep and eye on him, but he didn't do that much. He's not as small as I thought he'd be, which I guess was good. I don't really recall him playing with anyone of importance, so I can't really comment on his playmaking or his offensive game, which I hear is good. He was relentless backchecking, almost to the point of hooking. He also harassed the defenseman at the blue line into coughing up the puck, which he deposited in the empty net. He has at least one more year of college hockey, so we'll see where that leads him.
Laganiere: I caught a few of his games towards the end of the season watching the Admirals in the playoffs and he seemed okay. Today he was reasonably impressive. He skating looks okay for a big, lanky guy, but I thought he was using his size to drive to the net. He's got nice hands, and scored a nice PS goal on take 2 after Manson got him on the first try. He whacked Kerdiles pretty good, which I don't think Nic took very kindly to. I honestly don't where he ends up.
Did anything stand out with Berkovitz?
