Erie Otters 2018-19 Season Thread (Part 2)

[nofriendsinhockey]

Not sure, but Drysdale is a beast. His stamina reminds me of Kris Letang, who logs huge minutes for the Pens. This kid will have the boxes filled with scouts next year. I am more and more impressed each game with him.

I find it amusing that people are comparing him to NHL vets without even finishing his first year in the OHL. No doubt he is a good player but please let him mature on his own without the stupid comparisons...at least wait a few years. Never know, he could elope with an Erie puck bunny and move to south america

 

[7D442]

I find it amusing that people are comparing him to NHL vets without even finishing his first year in the OHL. No doubt he is a good player but please let him mature on his own without the stupid comparisons...at least wait a few years. Never know, he could elope with an Erie puck bunny and move to south america

Drysdale - like Byfield or Stranges or other rookies came into the league with a lot of hype and future promise surrounding their game ..

In the case of say these 3 in particular -they have excelled and exceeded expectations..

Drysdale in interviews showed maturity beyond his years for a 16 year old .. you could see it in the way he spoke and in the way he carries himself .. you heard it from his prior coaches - he’s a natural born leader..As far as comparisons to another gifted scoring defenseman who logs a lot of minutes -I think you would have to give some credit here .. 7 goals , 30 assists a couple OT game winners , in a season that is not over yet should be given some credit ..oh yeah and his skating is already at another level at age 16..

Let’s let bunny rabbits do what they do - but I bet we’ll see Drysdale back next year with the C on his jersey and be an NHL 1st rnd pick in the future - on the same ice that Letang is on..

 

[NOA]

Drysdale - like Byfield or Stranges or other rookies came into the league with a lot of hype and future promise surrounding their game ..

In the case of say these 3 in particular -they have excelled and exceeded expectations..

Drysdale in interviews showed maturity beyond his years for a 16 year old .. you could see it in the way he spoke and in the way he carries himself .. you heard it from his prior coaches - he’s a natural born leader..As far as comparisons to another gifted scoring defenseman who logs a lot of minutes -I think you would have to give some credit here .. 7 goals , 30 assists a couple OT game winners , in a season that is not over yet should be given some credit ..oh yeah and his skating is already at another level at age 16..

Let’s let bunny rabbits do what they do - but I bet we’ll see Drysdale back next year with the C on his jersey and be an NHL 1st rnd pick in the future - on the same ice that Letang is on..

The thing with Drysdale that makes him deserve the hype and praise goes beyond just pure skill

He is mature, confident, humble, and very smart. That also makes him a born leader. Those can’t teach qualities combined with such great skating and elite hockey senses make him elite at 16. He will only get stronger and bigger as he ages. Which makes people want to make comparisons and I have no issue with it.
I would rather have a kid with those qualities and have lesser natural talent than a kid with all the natural talent but with an ego. Those can’t teach qualities can help someone overcome limited talent the same an ego can destroy it. Drysdale has the talent and the qualities as a human being that would make him succeed outside of hockey

Imo he will have the C next year. It’s the only reason we didn’t name one the rest of this year. The organization wants Drysdale to be the official face of the team for the next 2 years and wearing the C will really ensure that.
I truly think in terms of personality and characteristics, he is like McDavid. Soft spoken and humble but at the same time knows the talent he has and knows the work he needs to put in to get to the next level. At this pace, he is a top 10 nhl pick next year

 

[buzzworthy]

Nofriends, if you read my post carefully, you will see that I said his stamina reminded me of Kris Letang. I couldn't find any stats on his total minutes per game, but I can tell you that it is near to the top for the Otters. You may find it amusing, but in the big picture we will see. Apparently, I am not the only one that feels this way. If I am wrong, I will buy you a beer in 2 years.

 

[nofriendsinhockey]

IMO Drysdale is in at number 2. Top D though. I struggled with slotting Byfield in at 5.

1. Perfetti
2. Drysdale
3. Rossi
4. Stranges
5. Byfield

 

[buzzworthy]

On another Otter's positive note, I spoke with one of the player's parents on Sunday. He told me this anecdote. His son was either close to signing or just had signed with the club this past summer/fall. He was outside of Toronto at some conditioning camp. A fellow tapped him on the shoulder and told him what a great organization Erie was. He would have the best time of his life. The kid's mouth dropped. It was Connor McDavid who had tapped him on the shoulder. That is worth a goose bump or two.

 

[buzzworthy]

And...I know that London has a big footprint in the NHL, as do some other elite clubs (Portland comes to mind). However, it is really neat to see Cernak, Burkovsky, DeBrincat, Strome, McDavid, and Dermott, all who played exclusively for Erie, not to mention Cerilli and Foegel who made Erie home for a brief stop. Erie is doing pretty well right now.

 

[nelli27]

And...I know that London has a big footprint in the NHL, as do some other elite clubs (Portland comes to mind). However, it is really neat to see Cernak, Burkovsky, DeBrincat, Strome, McDavid, and Dermott, all who played exclusively for Erie, not to mention Cerilli and Foegel who made Erie home for a brief stop. Erie is doing pretty well right now.

Yes so true. I can't imagine any midget prospect having Erie on a list of teams to which he wouldn't report. The organization certainly did wonders for the players you mentioned now playing in the NHL. One more thing...drive safe to the games!

 

[three dog night]

How are the injuries coming along might be tough in Niagara with just five defence men.

 

[TDTDTD]

My guess is this:

1st round - forward
2nd round - defender
2nd round - forward

So if we don’t go D with the 3-4 pick, we can still get a good prospect with pick 20-22

Then my guess is with 4 picks in rounds 4-6 they take 1-2 goalies. I don’t love the idea of taking a goalie in 2nd round. Last time we did was Jake Lawr who during his draft year was considered a top goalie prospect. Look how that turned out..
would rather we try to sign Campbell, make a trade, or use our import on a goalie. I prefer we draft 2 in the mid 4-7th round. The more you have in your system, the better chance you strike gold on a goalie. And we need to find one. So expect 2-3 goalies overall picked in draft for us

Speaking of Campbell, anyone know anything about how he's doing? If their trying to sign him? Checked the Elite Prospects website and Tier 1 and it seems like he's really excelling. Heard he also spent a stint with the USA hockey NTDP this spring.

 

[OttersFan]

On another Otter's positive note, I spoke with one of the player's parents on Sunday. He told me this anecdote. His son was either close to signing or just had signed with the club this past summer/fall. He was outside of Toronto at some conditioning camp. A fellow tapped him on the shoulder and told him what a great organization Erie was. He would have the best time of his life. The kid's mouth dropped. It was Connor McDavid who had tapped him on the shoulder. That is worth a goose bump or two.

Which player is this about?

 

[NOA]

Yes so true. I can't imagine any midget prospect having Erie on a list of teams to which he wouldn't report. The organization certainly did wonders for the players you mentioned now playing in the NHL. One more thing...drive safe to the games!

It’s amazing that they were once (about 6/7 years ago) on a list of 2-3 teams that most said no to reporting to. Now they are basically on a top 5-10 list for most players of a place they would want to play for.

Like I’ve noted in the past, part of the problem in the mid 2000s was getting kids to sign. Nobody wanted to be here. As a result, it led to us either taking lower ranked kids with higher picks (because at least they would report) or taking pointless chances on guys who had 0 interest in being here.
It’s so difficult to dig yourself out of that hole as an organization. It becomes a vicious cycle. You try to get better but it mostly starts with the players and the talent you can attract. Once you are unable to do that as much as most of the rest of the league, you then lose more games than win and guess what? The same thing happens with the next wave of kids.. they don’t want to play for you.

McDavid/knoblauch were able to do it for Erie but wasn’t easy. Now 90-100% of players who want to play in the OHL, and the OHL is their first option, are willing or excited to play here. About a decade ago, that number was probably more like 30-40%.

Prime example - Drysdale. Said no to flint and Peterborough but yes to Erie

 

[NOA]

And...I know that London has a big footprint in the NHL, as do some other elite clubs (Portland comes to mind). However, it is really neat to see Cernak, Burkovsky, DeBrincat, Strome, McDavid, and Dermott, all who played exclusively for Erie, not to mention Cerilli and Foegel who made Erie home for a brief stop. Erie is doing pretty well right now.

In the last 5 , Erie is up there with the best of them at producing nhl talent. I would say top 5-6 in the league..
great to see

 

[buzzworthy]

He is a signed forward playing with the club. Probably shouldn't mention his name, although you can probably figure it out. Nelli, I have lots of practice driving in the snow and ice. I have over 10,000 miles of driving experience over the last 16 years in the treks to Erie. But, thanks anyway! 3 dog, Duff and Kischnick served their suspensions. Earlier in this thread I read that Fowler may be playing. So, we will be pretty much at full strength except for possibly Gritz.

 

[EON]

Part of me is kind of hoping they miss the playoffs and get Clarke to come here. Drysdale-Clarke-Kischnick down the right side next season would be great. They can go after a good forward with Flint's 2nd rounder, which will either be #21 or #22. Then you've got your NCAA guys and the import draft, and they seem to have better luck landing forwards in the import draft than they do dmen.

But these guys are putting up a pretty good fight and you have to be proud of that. I might not be totally on the fire Hartsburg bandwagon, he does have these kids playing hard and they've dealt with a lot of injuries. Perhaps they can add new assistants that soften his personality a bit and improve the special teams next season.

 

[buzzworthy]

They are fighting pretty hard, but I am not sold on Hartsburg. They may be playing well in spite of him, or to show him they can. Too many billets have commented to me that the kids aren't learning much, and that he yells at practice. That is a big concern. He has toned things down a bit, and I have noticed Adams and Wolfe praising the kids more. I just don't want players not reporting because of him. If he can change things up some, then I am ok with that. He has a terrific group of kids to work with. On another note, Golod is a real piss pot. I have been watching him closely. He reminds me of (pick any player) from the London Knights from 10-15 years ago. The kid has some real skill. If he can gain some strength and size, he will be an NHL draft pick. I am glad he is on our team.

 

[buzzworthy]

According to Hartsburg, Fowler will return tonight. So, assuming he is completely healed, and he is ready to go, that will add a real dimension to this group. He will be a pretty dynamic player next year. He is one tough guy will some skills who isn't afraid to get his nose dirty.

 

[Puckit97]

According to Hartsburg, Fowler will return tonight. So, assuming he is completely healed, and he is ready to go, that will add a real dimension to this group. He will be a pretty dynamic player next year. He is one tough guy will some skills who isn't afraid to get his nose dirty.

Agreed. I still think this team is better off finishing out of the playoffs but it’s certainly encouraging that he will be back tonight. Looking forward to watching the game.

 

[7D442]

I don’t think it’s going to matter much either way .. might be beneficial to make it - then use some of that experience to go hopefully 2 rounds next year

 

[7D442]

What places have the games on these days locally ??

 

[Puckit97]

What places have the games on these days locally ??

I think Molly Brannigans shows all road games.

 

[bobber]

Just wanted to point out that young Drysdale's backward skating. On one play he was skating backwards behind the Ranger's net and continued to get back up the ice skating backwards with tremendous speed and beat everyone back even the forwards. I can't remember a player that skated backwards so smoothly and proficiently in years. He is going to be a huge star in this league before he leaves for pro.

 

[Buttsy]

He is going to be a huge star in this league before he leaves for pro.

Not even debatable a point could be made he already is?

I think he would be best served to not report to Erie and demand a trade to London next year? Alright, alright just kidding take a pill!

 

[Buttsy]

I find it amusing that people are comparing him to NHL vets without even finishing his first year in the OHL

I used to think the same but in reality I think what posters are suggesting is not that he is as good as Letang in this case simply that his style of play reminds them of Letang? In that context I think a comparison can be constructive but if they are suggesting he is as good as Letang already well that would be ridiculous, agreed!

 

[EON]

Anyone know what's going on with Golod? Sure would be nice to ice a healthy line-up for once.

Nice win last night though after two ugly road games. Four games left, @MIS, vs. KIT, @GUE, vs. GUE. Not an easy schedule by any means but WSR is likely to lose today against SSM, leaving the teams tied while Erie will have 2 games in hand.