Erie Otters 2019-20 Season Thread

[nelli27]

Campbell the biggest for be, just because I think his development is crucial(!) to Erie. They have not had this good of a goalie prospect (minus import draft) since, who?? Because I got nobody. Campbell could finally be that guy that we also have for 3 years. With his size, if he plays good this year, he will likely be nhl drafted and be the main guy for 2020-21 and 2021-22

Josh Disher was once good but was a late round pick that was a late bloomer. We have had higher goalie picks (Jake Lawr) but they struggled early and never panned out. Obviously have had some good Import goalies but that’s a bit different

Campbell was a late pick but not because of being a late bloomer. More just being hidden in the US and having the college option. This kid has gotten some USNDT call up time, has played great in US select tournaments, and has been invited to top level US goalie camps. He has the talent and potential.

He will definitely play in one of the weekend games and would love if you could give a report Nelli. Thought he looked pretty good in his preseason game last week and would love for him to roll that over to this week

Campbell looked sharp overall, some good athleticism, quick feet. I'm sure he'd want back the game tying goal in the 3rd, but all goalies let in the occasional softie. I mentioned on Knights board that Swankler looked good but his frustration really shows. He was wide open in front of the net and was frustrated that he didn't receive the pass.
#2 (d-man) made two nice defensive plays. It looked like the speedy Nelson was going to split the D to go in on a breakaway but #2 stayed with him and knocked him off the puck. Later, Stranges came bearing down on him with speed, and he broke up the one-on-one against the crafty Stranges. Lockhart looked good, very confident on the PP. Sellan had a good game.
Morton with some grit.

 

[NOA]

Campbell looked sharp overall, some good athleticism, quick feet. I'm sure he'd want back the game tying goal in the 3rd, but all goalies let in the occasional softie. I mentioned on Knights board that Swankler looked good but his frustration really shows. He was wide open in front of the net and was frustrated that he didn't receive the pass.
#2 (d-man) made two nice defensive plays. It looked like the speedy Nelson was going to split the D to go in on a breakaway but #2 stayed with him and knocked him off the puck. Later, Stranges came bearing down on him with speed, and he broke up the one-on-one against the crafty Stranges. Lockhart looked good, very confident on the PP. Sellan had a good game.
Morton with some grit.

Awesome stuff Nelli! Much appreciated by Erie fans.

Not surprised by the Swankler frustration. I think that kid fully expected to be NHL drafted this past year. Hopefully he uses it more as motivation, not frustration

Campbell’s one negative from scouts: he lets in the occasional soft goal. So also no surprise there. Something he will have to work on but at 17 years old, he’s still learning

 

[EON]

In the two games Drysdale sat:

0-1-1, 4 GF, 5 GA

In the two games Drysdale played:

2-0-0, 15 GF, 2 GA

Now he himself "only" had one point in those two games, and there could have been other factors involved as well, but the difference is pretty striking.

 

[NOA]

In the two games Drysdale sat:

0-1-1, 4 GF, 5 GA

In the two games Drysdale played:

2-0-0, 15 GF, 2 GA

Now he himself "only" had one point in those two games, and there could have been other factors involved as well, but the difference is pretty striking.

I think the sample size is too small. That said, Drysdale could establish himself as the best defender and a top 10 player in the league this year .. so obviously we need that type of talent to play

Most impressed this preseason with Brendan Sellan though

 

[NOA]

2019 preseason
2-1-1 record
19 GF, 8 GA

2018 preseason
2-3 record
14 GF, 19 GA

2017
3-2 record
15 GF, 12 GA

Yes I know. It’s preseason. It literally means nothing the second the regular season starts. That said, you never really want you team to come out flat or bad. It’s not really about the “wins” or “losses” but more about the way they played. This preseason they definitely look better. Will it translate? Gosh I hope so but time will tell

 

[Mata]

I think the sample size is too small. That said, Drysdale could establish himself as the best defender and a top 10 player in the league this year .. so obviously we need that type of talent to play

Most impressed this preseason with Brendan Sellan though

Did you not think he was top 10 last year? In spite of being a rookie, that kid by season end was by far our best all around defensive player, and by far.

 

[Buttsy]

Just a pre-season game of course but I really do think Erie is in for a great season. With the rebuild needed after your great teams of the past enjoy. Drysdale is a Stud and I agree a case can be made he already is a star in the OHL. Last year when they played London he was by far your best player on the ice IMO. And...... he's a good Canadian boy so I'm laying claim to him as one of our own even though he's not a Knight! LOL good Luck and as I said enjoy your season!

 

[NOA]

Did you not think he was top 10 last year? In spite of being a rookie, that kid by season end was by far our best all around defensive player, and by far.

Top 10 player as a rookie? No I don’t think so. He was still a rookie and made some mistakes. Obviously from a pure talent standpoint, yes. But overall, no because he was 16 years old.

 

[Fischhaber]

Top 10 player as a rookie? No I don’t think so. He was still a rookie and made some mistakes. Obviously from a pure talent standpoint, yes. But overall, no because he was 16 years old.

I agree. Even just on the defensive side of things you had some elite players in their own end (Hollowell, Hoefenmayer, Harley, Sambrook, Samorukov) that also put up more points. Those guys could take over a game on both ends of the ice add they often did.

Drysdale wasn't quite there on the defensive side of things yet but the hope should be that he will be that kind of player this year. I'm looking forward to watching him.

 

[NOA]

Reports coming out that Gillard might miss the entire season. Tough loss as I expected him to be a good player for them this year.

Erie has had brutal injury luck lately. Beamish/Fowler last year. Even Murphy/Martin missed a good amount of time.

Now starting this year with the Gillard news. That said, we do have the depth to handle it. But it also probably means Golden is 100% staying which most of us fans absolutely hate.

Drysdale / Beamish
Duff / Henry
Kischnick / Golden
Martin / Morton

Martin still a little banged up from last season’s injury but would guess he returns at some point in the first month of the season. Hopefully that when Martin returns, we are able to trade someone like Henry for a little value and make up for the assets spent on Golden (sigh)

On a more positive side of things,
Sedore is only expected to miss a few weeks with his leg injury. That’s good to hear because he was impressing in camp/preseason

MacDougall is also “day to day” so not sure what his situation is.

Max Golod is still at Flyers camp so awesome news for him. There are NHL drafted players throughout the OHL that have already been sent back but not Golod.

With Sedore/MacDougall out and Golod gone, expect the team to roll with all 15 forwards until moves are made. If in 2 weeks all are healthy/returned .. then a move or 2 will have to be made

 

[Buttsy]

make up for the assets spent on Golden (sigh)

I think it was a 4th and a 3rd with conditions on the 3rd? Really not that bad of a “pay” in the big picture do you think?

 

[EON]

I think it was a 4th and a 3rd with conditions on the 3rd? Really not that bad of a “pay” in the big picture do you think?

Golden is absolutely not worth the 3rd round pick they're going to spend on him for his OA season.

 

[EON]

What is the Gillard injury? That seems to have come out of nowhere. Tough break for sure, not only does this force them to keep Golden (although they probably were anyways), but it's a huge season of wasted development for him.

It is good news the Sedore injury isn't long term. Hopefully Golod is back by Friday.

In some other good news, Brett Bressette is playing with the Thorold Blackhawks (GOJHL, Jr. B) and has 5 points in his first 4 games. Christian Kyrou also has 3 points in 4 games with the Komoka Kings (GOJHL, Jr. B).

 

[Buttsy]

Golden is absolutely not worth the 3rd round pick they're going to spend on him for his OA season.

Being a Knights Fan I guess I will just leave it as "we owe you one" and quietly make my way back to the London thread?

 

[NOA]

What is the Gillard injury? That seems to have come out of nowhere. Tough break for sure, not only does this force them to keep Golden (although they probably were anyways), but it's a huge season of wasted development for him.

It is good news the Sedore injury isn't long term. Hopefully Golod is back by Friday.

In some other good news, Brett Bressette is playing with the Thorold Blackhawks (GOJHL, Jr. B) and has 5 points in his first 4 games. Christian Kyrou also has 3 points in 4 games with the Komoka Kings (GOJHL, Jr. B).

I believe Golod was shipped back to Erie last night based on a social media post he made thanking the Flyers for the opportunity. If so, I would imagine he plays Friday. I put him on the list of players that Erie needs to breakout this season. Golod has the talent but needs to be more consistent

The Gillard news is tough to hear. Fortunately, Erie has the depth to be fine without him this year. But it does hurt them next year as Gillard has a year of wasted development. Also the Golden factor..

 

[NOA]

Being a Knights Fan I guess I will just leave it as "we owe you one" and quietly make my way back to the London thread?

The only positive is that the pick is 2024 I believe. So there is time to recoup it. Dave Brown has this idea that we don’t need need our 2nds and 3rds like most teams because we draft very well in middle and late rounds

I agree with him that our drafting is superior to most. That said, the 2nd/3rd round picks are still valued by all OHL teams. So you need those picks as currency to make big trades. Losing that pick for Jacob freaking Golden is a total waste and instantly impacts them if they want to “go for it” in the next few seasons. If we were Flint and had a bunch of assets, I wouldn’t care one bit. But our draft stock is basically “normal” all the way out into the future (meaning we have just the right amounts of 2nds/3rds that it nearly averages to 1 each per season which every team gets)

That’s my biggest problem with the 3rd round pick. It’s not the potential for who we could draft with it (Erie can make up for it in the draft) but it’s more the lost currency for a future title run. Brown is clueless if he thinks we can make a title run without this type of currency

 

[Buttsy]

The only positive is that the pick is 2024 I believe. So there is time to recoup it. Dave Brown has this idea that we don’t need need our 2nds and 3rds like most teams because we draft very well in middle and late rounds

I agree with him that our drafting is superior to most. That said, the 2nd/3rd round picks are still valued by all OHL teams. So you need those picks as currency to make big trades. Losing that pick for Jacob freaking Golden is a total waste and instantly impacts them if they want to “go for it” in the next few seasons. If we were Flint and had a bunch of assets, I wouldn’t care one bit. But our draft stock is basically “normal” all the way out into the future (meaning we have just the right amounts of 2nds/3rds that it nearly averages to 1 each per season which every team gets)

That’s my biggest problem with the 3rd round pick. It’s not the potential for who we could draft with it (Erie can make up for it in the draft) but it’s more the lost currency for a future title run. Brown is clueless if he thinks we can make a title run without this type of currency

All very valid points, in London I am so used to seeing the picks “come & go” quite frankly I can’t keep up. The one thing I like with this “coming & going” is typically we draft using someone else’s pick which means it normally is much higher then our own would have been. I think that’s almost a draft strategy for our Team?

 

[NOA]

All very valid points, in London I am so used to seeing the picks “come & go” quite frankly I can’t keep up. The one thing I like with this “coming & going” is typically we draft using someone else’s pick which means it normally is much higher then our own would have been. I think that’s almost a draft strategy for our Team?

I’m sure it is part of it but I think it’s more to do with London trading off their spare parts who at times are a bit overrated. They then go for more of a price than they should (cough cough Jacob Golden) which allows London to stockpile the picks. If Erie, for instance, traded someone of Golden’s talents.. they probably would get mid level picks and that’s it

 

[NOA]

Another great read from Mark
https://thehockeywriters.com/erie-otters-dave-brown-season-preview/

Highlights for me of how confident Dave Brown is that this team will be better. But most importantly how they will no longer be at the bottom of the league after this year because they expect to stay competitive the majority of years

I think fans around the entire league forget that Erie went for it for 4!!! straight years. Traded away many picks but most importantly young talent like Neumann/McShane. And they still managed to finish with 23 and 26 wins the last two seasons. Incredible imo. They lost soooo many assets and most of their team was filled with 5th-15th round draft picks. They did better than most would do. Heck, Guelph took 2/3 years of rebuild following their 2014 title before winning in 2019. Now? Right back to the basement they will be and will probably have less than 20 wins.

So the team did great to tread water. Winning 32+ games this year would be a major success story of rebuilding imo.

As for draft stock.. yes it’s still a bit bare and I worry about it for future title runs.

But the prospect pool/younger core??? Pretty darn good. Very good

2003s
Lockhart
Bressette
Kyrou
Murphy (the only one not signed)

Saganiuk (still uncommitted for college, so I’m going to assume Erie are front runners for him in 1-2 years)


2002s
Drysdale
Campbell
Sedore
Cohen
Morton

Khustnutdinov (unsigned but likely NHL drafted in 2020.. good chance to get him next year)

2001s
Fowler
Swankler
Sproule
Hoffmann
Sellan
D’Amato
Gillard
Kischnick

I just think it’s a pretty damn good list of players, especially when the 3 guys that aren’t signed (Saganiuk, Khustnutdinov, Murphy) are all strong candidates to wear an Erie sweater when all is said and done

 

[EON]

Joe Mack has been traded to Sarnia for a 13th round pick.

Ryan Martin has been released.

Not surprised that Mack got moved, it was always down to him versus Gritz for the last spot imo.

I am surprised Martin has been released. Sad to see him go, he seems like a good leader and a solid player, but they need to make time for young guys. I'm guessing Golden just fits much better with how Hartsburg wants to play.

Possible lineup going forward, just in my opinion, we'll see what Hartsburg does. The forward lineup is pretty fluid with a good amount of depth, they just need some guys to take steps forward.

 

[Naz]

Mark Scheig

@ErieOttersThere's news coming, including a trade. Stay tuned.

 

[NOA]

Captains will be announced soon

Hoping to see Drysdale get the C but don’t be shocked if it goes to Yetman. Both will at least get a letter. Duff should also be an A

With Martin out the door, that leaves Golden, Sproule, Fowler as my other top candidates to get an A

 

[Dakotawarmth]

Captains will be announced soon

Hoping to see Drysdale get the C but don’t be shocked if it goes to Yetman. Both will at least get a letter. Duff should also be an A

With Martin out the door, that leaves Golden, Sproule, Fowler as my other top candidates to get an A

Duff captain
Mack traded

 

[NOA]

MacDougall will probably miss opening weekend. Sedore has already been ruled out.

Based off the preseason performance and what I saw with chemistry, I expect the day one lineup to be something like this

77 - 21 - 91
93 - 29 - 14
44 - 96 - 17
13 - 73 - 61

34 - 4
41 - 49
5 - 2

Murph in net

 

[NOA]

Duff captain
Mack traded

Good call. Inside scoop?

Duff the 13th full time captain in team history. (Amazing that we have had so few of them)

He is also the first full time captain on the backend since Brian Lee (2004-05)

Yetman a full time alternate captain

Drysdale/Fowler (white jersey)
Henry/Golod (Navy jersey )
will rotate alternates all year

Not sure about the gold jersey alternates lol