nelli27
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I agree... Erie has some nice looking jerseys, a grey one too, if memory serves.
Erie Otters 2021-22 Season Thread
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yes the grey will be the 25th Anniversary season (silver anniversary edition) jersey. I love them as well. From what I heard, the players loved the idea of the grey. Something about the yellow makes it clean but unique
Hayden Fowler is not playing OHL hockey this year. Dan Murphy was an OA during canceled season.
Otters got 1 second, 2 thirds, and 5th rounder for two guys who will never play another game in the OHL
Bravo to Dave Brown on the free assets. Couldn’t have come at a better time and tbh no OHL team made out like Erie on the trades during pandemic
Otters got 1 second, 2 thirds, and 5th rounder for two guys who will never play another game in the OHL
Bravo to Dave Brown on the free assets. Couldn’t have come at a better time and tbh no OHL team made out like Erie on the trades during pandemic
Perhaps stretching the time-line a bit; but Niagara hauled in something like 9-2nds, 3-3rds, 3-4ths & Butler for three guys that were unavailable to traded team for playoffs or any future game
I mean that doesn’t really count in my timeline since OHL was still playing - that was pre pandemic. If that were the case, 3 high picks wouldn’t be close to the top since many teams were buying/selling in January 2020
But everything after the 2020 draft until about June 2021.. Erie gained the most
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Wow man you are soooo easily triggered when it isn’t even your team
Clearly I was referring to PICKS. Draft picks. The conversation was all about draft picks. If you read the original post I even said through “trades” they gained the most. Didn’t think I needed to spell it out so much but forgot that non Otter fans might not be able to interpret
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64 players at camp. Kulakov here as I stated earlier in the week. Also nice to see Kaleb Smith and Pat Geary here, the two Buffalo kids from 2020 Draft.
Any word if Kolosov showed up?
If not it would be pretty safe to say Campbell and Lolande are the two to beat, unless something else transpires during or shortly after camp.
If not it would be pretty safe to say Campbell and Lolande are the two to beat, unless something else transpires during or shortly after camp.
Mark Scheig said he has since signed back to the KHL. Unfortunate but not a shocker. Maybe he comes over at some point. He’s a Philly draft pick so things could change.
Not surprised about Kolosov. It's a good sign they got him to commit at all, but he got decent playing time in the KHL and played well so I think there's basically zero chance he comes over now, especially since he's an '02. Kulakov is a nice addition though and should be a two year player. Next off-season they hopefully get lucky and land Slafkovsky or utilize their 1st rounder well.
Good point on the 02 born. Forgot that detail. Seems unlikely he comes now for that reason alone but like you said, Kulakov sticking is a good thing
He’s listed 6’2 200lbs but who knows how up to date that is. He looks pretty big on the ice. Erie needs size. Between him, Morton, Thompson - it’s a good sign for the defense to maybe be a bit more consistent. Especially if Sova is as good as the hype suggests.
Curious about Tichacek. They used a 1st rounder on him and he’s an 2003 who didn’t get NHL drafted despite having a decent enough chance to be picked. You would think someone like him would come over here this year with hopes of proving himself with more exposure. Mark Scheig should be asking Dave Brown about this. My understanding when they took him was they felt good about him coming here.
I said before I would prefer Tichacek/Kulakov over Kolosov/Kulakov. The former are younger and provide Erie a good chance to have a solid defense for the next 2 years with them, Sova, Morton, Kyrou all locked in and some higher picks from the 2021 class. Whereas in net Erie has Lalonde who they invested a high pick on. He’s going to need to get 20+ starts this year imo if you want him to take over next year. I still have MAJOR questions about Campbell’s consistency but I also think Erie won’t hesitate to split time between Lalonde/Campbell if Aidan can’t hold the fort. At any rate, they have some potential in net if Campbell can just be consistent. If not, they have a high upside option behind him. And unlike Kolosov, Campbell could be an OA option next year if he has a good season.
I have no insider knowledge but my best guess is that they made the move for Thomspon after finding out Tichacek wasn't coming over. Perhaps they had some info he was interested when they drafted him but he ultimately decided not to come over. The top 4 of Sova/Morton/Kulakov/Thompson seems pretty locked in to me, with Kyrou likely a regular on the 3rd pair and other young guys in the #6/#7/#8 spots. For those reasons I doubt Tichacek is coming now. It's disappointing since he probably offers more upside than Thomspon but I'm still glad Kulakov is here so I'm not going to complain too much given some of their import whiffs in recent years.
Certainly possible the Thompson trade is related to Tichacek. That’s a good point
I also think Thompson was really cheap and they know Kischnick is not the most ideal option when their OA forwards offer more upside. Without Thompson or Jiri, they were left with only 2 guys on the backend with experience - Morton/Kyrou. Sova has upside but he missed valued rookie season. Kulakov is a major unknown. They have 4 guys but question marks. Thompson offers a bit more experience which is going to be so valued early this year.
That gives them 5 bodies. They are going to need 2 other guys on the roster and they have no names signed. I have hope for Alboim, Sauder, Harvey as 2021 picks but even they need more experience after a shortened 2020-21 draft season for them. Ideally only 1 is getting some minutes this year while the others are sent down. That leaves Geary and Murphy as higher prospects. But Murphy is now an ‘03 and Geary is an American.
Unless Brown knows Murphy/Geary are legit options to sign, there a still major question marks especially if they didn’t add Thompson.
I agree, Jiri is probably not coming right now though I don’t think Thompson is 100% correlated to that. I think they needed that body anyways, especially when it’s cheap. Jiri not here is frustrating because Slafkovsky is a long shot to begin with. So we just gonna go another draft season without an import? Since 2017, they have made 7 import picks. Patry was a whiff. Cajka left after one year and left them dry in 2019 (that’s alllll on Brown for misreading/not communicating).
yes I understand Kolosov was lost due to COVID. And arguably so was Marat - the lost season ended his interest in Erie. But at this point, they still need to do much better with the imports.
OHL Prospects: Preseason Top 30 for the 2022 NHL Draft
Otters have 3 guys listed here
Sova at 6
Ross at 27
Lalonde at 30
Can’t say I’m surprised Sova is at 6 and not higher (he didn’t play much the past year) but his elite skating (Brock says he’s the best skater from OHL draft pool - regardless of position) and his size should make him way more likely to go ahead of Ty Nelson in the draft. Brock has Nelson 5th
A lot will depend on how quickly Sova can adjust, especially because he will be expected and needed to play top 4 minutes right away. But between Morton and Thompson, I think they have stay at home veteran defense options for him to pair with.
As for Lalonde, I think he has a chance to rise if things go his way. I’m not at all sold on Campbell. He has the athletic ability and size but just is not at all consistent, which has been a theme for him. Lalonde outplayed him at the PBHH showcase and imo has higher upside this year. If Campbell struggles and Lalonde is offering more, than Erie will have no choice but to at least split the net duties. Lalonde is going to have a really good chance to get 30 games this year if he is performing. Because I don’t see Campbell running away with it
Otters have 3 guys listed here
Sova at 6
Ross at 27
Lalonde at 30
Can’t say I’m surprised Sova is at 6 and not higher (he didn’t play much the past year) but his elite skating (Brock says he’s the best skater from OHL draft pool - regardless of position) and his size should make him way more likely to go ahead of Ty Nelson in the draft. Brock has Nelson 5th
A lot will depend on how quickly Sova can adjust, especially because he will be expected and needed to play top 4 minutes right away. But between Morton and Thompson, I think they have stay at home veteran defense options for him to pair with.
As for Lalonde, I think he has a chance to rise if things go his way. I’m not at all sold on Campbell. He has the athletic ability and size but just is not at all consistent, which has been a theme for him. Lalonde outplayed him at the PBHH showcase and imo has higher upside this year. If Campbell struggles and Lalonde is offering more, than Erie will have no choice but to at least split the net duties. Lalonde is going to have a really good chance to get 30 games this year if he is performing. Because I don’t see Campbell running away with it
I saw that list before I went to bed last night...
The upside of Sova, at least on paper, seems to be a bigger (physically) version of Jamie Drysdale (my interpretation of the write ups). That being said, Jamie wasn't perfect in his first year and had some shortcomings, but if we are being honest he was a top 3 defenceman on the team the moment he laced up.
We will need Sova to fill those shoes and doing so without the likes of a veteran defensive captain in Jack Duff and even at the time Henry. could prove to be a tough task, let's hope he is up to it.
With all the questions surrounding the team, you are spot on in that with all the hype surrounding Campbell prior to him committing to play here, his consistency has left many people scratching their heads. When he is on, he is on. When he is off, he is way off, at least from what we got to see in his first season.
A lot will be asked of him early and if Lalonde proves to be consistent I could see Campbell getting 2nd string minutes and/or traded. I am excited to see the new kids in action and curious how camp went and if we will have any surprises making the final cut.
Also hot off the press is Mark who does a fantastic job covering the team when time permits...
https://thehockeywriters.com/3-erie-otters-2021-22-training-camp-takeaways/
https://thehockeywriters.com/3-erie-otters-2021-22-training-camp-takeaways/
I totally agree with that. I mean Wright is an easy call but after that, nobody knows.
Which is why I don’t understand Nelson ahead of Sova. Sova has size and skating. Nelson is vastly undersized for NHL defense. It would take Nelson putting up 70-80 points and Sova struggling for that to hold true. But even at that, teams are going to have to consider size. If Sova has a solid year (after having not played at all as a rookie) than he will almost certainly be ahead of Nelson off size alone
I also disagree with his analysis that Sova could be overwhelmed early. Erie has a potential lighter schedule with Flint/Saginaw early. Outside of Othmann, there isn’t much higher end forwards. It should be a good schedule for him to adjust to the OHL. He will have some bumps after missing last year but overall, it’s going to be his potential for NHL scouts. As long as he is progressing throughout the year, he’s in good shape
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Happy he wrote this since nobody else is contributing info but he’s off base on a couple things..
He talks about Kischnick essentially having a spot locked in and also lists the 4 OA forwards. They can’t keep all, Mark. Also.. why would Kischnick be locked in? At best he’s a 3rd pairing guy given his size and guys ahead of him. Imo you can’t waste an OA spot on a 3rd pairing defender. Especially when they have alternatives in the 2003/2004 class or potentially 2005 class. Makes no sense to me he would be here. I won’t even begin to dive into the idea of keeping Hoff/Dan/Sellan together again which Mark also seems is a sure thing. Which would just leave you smaller/inexperienced on every other line. They need to split those guys up to let other guys like Ross/Terrance/Saganiuk better adjust
The Lalonde thing also bugs me. Why does he basically praise Lalonde and then question if he can be a #2 or if Erie needs a vet backup? Erie invested a high 3rd rounder on the kid. He outperformed Campbell in the PBHH. And hockey scouts think he’s a good NHL prospect. I don’t know how ready he is but IMO they can’t waste a year here. He is going to need games. At least 10-15. The bigger question or the one I think is likely to be an issue is if Campbell is ready for the #1. Mark should be questioning that. And if Campbell isn’t ready to take on 40-45 games to shelter Lalonde, than shouldn’t Erie look for a vet to replace him? Not the other way around of finding a “backup” to split time with Campbell. Lalonde should be able to handle some action or Erie has bigger concerns. He might not be ready for 30 games but again they shouldn’t need to force that if Campbell is the guy as Mark suggests
I do like him pointing out Ross here. Been hearing a lot of good things about him. Size concerning but he seems to have really good skills.
The initial Central Scouting rankings will have the higher drafted players, but when the 2nd Rankings come out, I would bet that half of the initially ranked kids may be ousted and replaced by others. No hockey for 18 months, and everything up in the air. Sova looks good but trust me, there are other 04 and 03 dmen out there that will out play Sova and Nelson.
Not denying that but with Brock’s ranking, I just think most at this stage would bet on Sova above Nelson when it comes to NHL draft. Nelson might have a better year or be better at OHL level when all is said and done but for the NHL rankings, Sova has more upside from a draft prospective
Kaleb Smith signs!!! This should help with Geary if they are interested in getting him too. I like this a lot, if only to add size. He’s listed at 6’1 175lbs.
Puts Erie at 13 forwards assuming they keep 3 OA forwards and sign Terrance/Artichuk soon.
2005s
Terrance
Artichuk
2004s
Ross
Lowe
Smith
2003s
Lockhart
Saganiuk
Bressette
2002s
Sedore
Cohen
2001s
Hoffmann
D’Amato
Sellan/Sproule
A nice mix of ages here.
3-4 prospects on Flint ahead of G.Hayes? Are you suggesting the other OHL GMs whiffed a bunch when drafting 2022 nhl draft eligibles?
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