Grand Rapids Griffins Roster?

[Boomhower]

5-4 Grand Rapids the winner in a SO Mantha with a Goal and Assist and with a SOG as well bring him up and show case him sounds like Anaheim has strong interest in Mantha.

If your only goal is to showcase him.... I like him right where he is at.

A gold medallion always looks better between bronze and silver.

 

[Frk It]

If your only goal is to showcase him.... I like him right where he is at.

A gold medallion always looks better between bronze and silver.

Teams need to see how the AHL production translates to the next level. Because there's guys like Pulkkinen who dominate in the AHL and it never amounts to anything.

 

[joe89]

Have not followed the season much but is this the Griffins season thread?

 

[WesNichols14]

Have not followed the season much but is this the Griffins season thread?

Looks like it. I dont know why its not a sticky thread anymore though...

anyway since RWL decided to call it a night, I too haven't been able to really follow the team the way I hoped. which is sad, as I feel they have a good group down there this year.

on another note. if AA is out for a few games does Mantha get a couple games in the show?

 

[Claypool]

on another note. if AA is out for a few games does Mantha get a couple games in the show?

My bet is Frk getting called up before Mantha. Something stinks right now with Mantha and this organization. It's not making sense. Bertuzzi getting called up before Mantha should have everyone's alarms going off.

With Anaheim scouts taking in a lot of Griffins games recently I got to think something is going on there. Perhaps the reason Bert got called up was because Anaheim wanted to see Mantha play significant minutes in Grand Rapids rather than sheltered minutes in Detroit.

Part of me believe we'll never see Mantha back up in Detroit. He'll be traded before that happens, it seems.

 

[Pavels Dog]

My bet is Frk getting called up before Mantha. Something stinks right now with Mantha and this organization. It's not making sense. Bertuzzi getting called up before Mantha should have everyone's alarms going off.

With Anaheim scouts taking in a lot of Griffins games recently I got to think something is going on there. Perhaps the reason Bert got called up was because Anaheim wanted to see Mantha play significant minutes in Grand Rapids rather than sheltered minutes in Detroit.

Part of me believe we'll never see Mantha back up in Detroit. He'll be traded before that happens, it seems.

Ehh.. I have a much easier time believing that other teams would rather see the guy they're scouting play in the NHL. Even 3rd line minutes in the NHL says more about a guy than big minutes in the AHL do (Pulkkinen/Frk prime examples).

If Anaheim is scouting Grand Rapids it could also be a guy like Svechnikov, who I have an easier time seeing on the trade block than Mantha. Spend all this time to develop Mantha, and when he finally looks to be taking that step to become a big-time goalscorer at the pro level you trade him? Don't know about that.

 

[Reddwit]

If your only goal is to showcase him.... I like him right where he is at.

A gold medallion always looks better between bronze and silver.

The definition of showcasing, when it comes to NHL trade talk, is giving a guy more NHL time. No scout worth his salt is going to be comfortable trading a pretty piece (and by that, I mean another sexy prospect) for a 22 year old when the only thing he's dominating is the AHL.

 

[Filppula]

Just quietly, Frk has 4 goals and 7 points in 7 games. Impressive.

 

[Frk It]

Anyone know if Sadowy is hurt or if he's a healthy scratch? He's done really nothing in GR so far. Think he was on the 4th line last game he played. Trade not looking so hot right now.

Also this top 9 they're going with?

Lorito-Street-Callahan
Criscuolo-Nosek-Frk
Svechnikov-Aubry-Ford

Yikesssss. Can we give Svech some decent linemates and move him up the depth chart please?

 

[Syckle78]

Anyone know if Sadowy is hurt or if he's a healthy scratch? He's done really nothing in GR so far. Think he was on the 4th line last game he played. Trade not looking so hot right now.

Also this top 9 they're going with?

Lorito-Street-Callahan
Criscuolo-Nosek-Frk
Svechnikov-Aubry-Ford

Yikesssss. Can we give Svech some decent linemates and move him up the depth chart please?

Yikes outside of svech seems like we have a whole lot of nothing left in gr to look forward to.

 

[19 for president]

Wings have just about graduated everyone that looks like a legit NHLer. I still think Cally should get a shot somewhere. I think he could be one of those guys that surprises and stick in the NHL for a bit. Svech & Frk are probably the only two forwards that look like they could be NHLers. Whatever happened to Turgeon, is he stuck in Toledo?

In general the Wings cupboard is looking pretty bare in general. I mean disregarding the most recent draft the only guys I'm seeing with NHL potential are Svech, Frk, Homer, Coreau, Russo, and Saarijarvi and of that group maybe only Villi and Svech have high talent. The Wings have graduated a lot of talent in the past few years.

 

[Wood Stick]

Anyone know if Sadowy is hurt or if he's a healthy scratch? He's done really nothing in GR so far. Think he was on the 4th line last game he played. Trade not looking so hot right now.

Also this top 9 they're going with?

Lorito-Street-Callahan
Criscuolo-Nosek-Frk
Svechnikov-Aubry-Ford

Yikesssss. Can we give Svech some decent linemates and move him up the depth chart please?

What are you talking about? Matt Ford is a legit top six AHL'er. He's coming off back to back 50 point seasons. Louis Marc-Aubry isn't terrible either. Deserved the promotion to the third line and is outscoring Svech right now. Svech is fine where he is right now.

Wings have just about graduated everyone that looks like a legit NHLer. I still think Cally should get a shot somewhere. I think he could be one of those guys that surprises and stick in the NHL for a bit. Svech & Frk are probably the only two forwards that look like they could be NHLers. Whatever happened to Turgeon, is he stuck in Toledo?

In general the Wings cupboard is looking pretty bare in general. I mean disregarding the most recent draft the only guys I'm seeing with NHL potential are Svech, Frk, Homer, Coreau, Russo, and Saarijarvi and of that group maybe only Villi and Svech have high talent. The Wings have graduated a lot of talent in the past few years.

I don't think Callahan's skating is good enough for a fourth line role. A guy like Drew Miller can Pk really well at this level which is a difference between the two.

Turgeon is looking the game and rotating in and out of the line-up. Mostly a fourth line guy.


I like Detroit's drafting in the last several years. We have some potential PP QBs in Ryan Sproul, Vili Saarijarvi, Robbie Russo (UFA), and Filip Hronek. A potential TWD that can log big minutes in Cholo (reminds me of Ryan McDonagh). Joe Hicketts seems to overachieve so he could be one to watch out for.

Some gritty guys like Tyler Bertuzzi and Giovani Smith. Didn't like the Turgeon or Nasty picks. Not a big fan of that style. But besides that we have some big bodies coming up in Svech and Holmstrom who can be complimentary top nine players.

Definitely need an impact player up front. Another centre.

 

[Reddwit]

I'd like to know what people see in Svechnikov. If you ask me, he fits the mold of Filppula/Sheahan: good physical tools, flashes of skill, never consistent, can't seem to put it all together. Its a recipe that sets you up for always wanting more.

Other than that, the GRG cupboard is bare aside from Russo. Russo is a guy that I think could make the transition to the NHL yesterday and have no problems. I could see him being a DD comparable in NHL adjustment, but with more offense and a bit less defense (in the appropriate role).

Outside of GR, Givani Smith looked OK amongst his upper-level peers but didn't blow my socks off and I haven't seen enough of Sadowy, Vili, or Cholo to comment. St. Cloud got shut out back-to-back this weekend, so that doesn't look great on Cholo as an OFD, even if he's a freshman.

Thankfully, we have Hronek. I have yet to figure out an apt comparison for Hronek but he has professional written all over him. The best part about his game is that I think he really might have untapped offensive flair and yet he's still almost PP/G as a defenseman for a mediocre OHL team in his first year in North America. I'm really trying to temper my excitement over him, but we might be looking at him as one of those early 2nd round gems. He's got great IQ and vision that I think is underrated because he's not flashy, even though he could get there in time. I'm probably going to be embarrassed by this comparison in a few years, but I think he could be a Josi-type down the line.

 

[Wood Stick]

I'd like to know what people see in Svechnikov. If you ask me, he fits the mold of Filppula/Sheahan: good physical tools, flashes of skill, never consistent, can't seem to put it all together. Its a recipe that sets you up for always wanting more.

Other than that, the GRG cupboard is bare aside from Russo. Russo is a guy that I think could make the transition to the NHL yesterday and have no problems. I could see him being a DD comparable in NHL adjustment, but with more offense and a bit less defense (in the appropriate role).

Outside of GR, Givani Smith looked OK amongst his upper-level peers but didn't blow my socks off and I haven't seen enough of Sadowy, Vili, or Cholo to comment. St. Cloud got shut out back-to-back this weekend, so that doesn't look great on Cholo as an OFD, even if he's a freshman.

Thankfully, we have Hronek. I have yet to figure out an apt comparison for Hronek but he has professional written all over him. The best part about his game is that I think he really might have untapped offensive flair and yet he's still almost PP/G as a defenseman for a mediocre OHL team in his first year in North America. I'm really trying to temper my excitement over him, but we might be looking at him as one of those early 2nd round gems. He's got great IQ and vision that I think is underrated because he's not flashy, even though he could get there in time. I'm probably going to be embarrassed by this comparison in a few years, but I think he could be a Josi-type down the line.

Russo had issues in the preseason. He played sheltered minutes last year. This year he's playing bigger minutes. He'd definitely have a hard transition right now.

Hronek reminds me a tad of Letang. Obviously will never be as good but his skating and IQ.

Svech has so much more skill than Sheahan and is way more fierce. He should be a 20/20 guy.

 

[Reddwit]

Russo had issues in the preseason. He played sheltered minutes last year. This year he's playing bigger minutes. He'd definitely have a hard transition right now.

Hronek reminds me a tad of Letang. Obviously will never be as good but his skating and IQ.

Svech has so much more skill than Sheahan and is way more fierce. He should be a 20/20 guy.

I never use pre-season performances as a barometer for "veteran" prospects, so Russo (and Mantha and Athanasiou, et al.)'s performance didn't register with me there. He looked like a disinterested veteran in the pre-season, as many guys his age do.

As for Hronek, Letang came to mind, but I don't think he'll be as flashhy as Letang. I think he'll be a bit more reliable and strong versus creative. Its still a good trade-off.

As for the Svechnikov comparison to Sheahan, you missed the point: Svech is inconsistent in his flashes of skill, as is Riley, as is Val. I just don't see anything that tells me its attitude over consistency. And I don't see any way that he is more fierce, unless you buy into the talk that said Sheahan and Filppula had "ferocity" or forechecking ability or whatever other standard hockey play that is generally and uniformly construed as effort back in the day. The takeaway is that all of them lack IQ/vision and that even if they are or could be 20/20 guys, it takes a massive, irreproducible effort on their part.

 

[ElysiumAB]

Why hasn't Cleary played this year?

 

[19 for president]

I never use pre-season performances as a barometer for "veteran" prospects, so Russo (and Mantha and Athanasiou, et al.)'s performance didn't register with me there. He looked like a disinterested veteran in the pre-season, as many guys his age do.

As for Hronek, Letang came to mind, but I don't think he'll be as flashhy as Letang. I think he'll be a bit more reliable and strong versus creative. Its still a good trade-off.

As for the Svechnikov comparison to Sheahan, you missed the point: Svech is inconsistent in his flashes of skill, as is Riley, as is Val. I just don't see anything that tells me its attitude over consistency. And I don't see any way that he is more fierce, unless you buy into the talk that said Sheahan and Filppula had "ferocity" or forechecking ability or whatever other standard hockey play that is generally and uniformly construed as effort back in the day. The takeaway is that all of them lack IQ/vision and that even if they are or could be 20/20 guys, it takes a massive, irreproducible effort on their part.

I think part of the argument (Granted I've seen very little of Svech myself) is that he likes to play in front of the net, and in the dirty areas. Thus he could be effective even when not showing great amounts of skill, whereas Sheahan and Flip has much more vanilla games offensively. So when they aren't scoring they are just floating out there offensively. Svech also is a bit meaner too, which makes people think he is more engaged.All are pretty streaky players.

 

[ElysiumAB]

So, they signed Cleary and he's not injured but has played zero games? That's... weird.

 

[Dotter]

So, they signed Cleary and he's not injured but has played zero games? That's... weird.

He'll probably be paid next year too. I think they want him to be part of the organization like a Jiri Fischer role.

 

[ElysiumAB]

He'll probably be paid next year too. I think they want him to be part of the organization like a Jiri Fischer role.

I guess I don't understand why they signed him as a player, if he doesn't play at all.

 

[Henkka]

I guess I don't understand why they signed him as a player, if he doesn't play at all.

He proably is a player-coach. Likes to train like a player and be in the lockerroom atmosphere. Esa Tikkanen said after his career, that most difficult thing was missing those lockerroom routines and talk. Maybe he teaches our kids to pros, shows example. Or maybe he is Ken Holland "eyes" on roadtrips. He'll report if somebody is starting to have bad habits.

Also, there has been situations in the past, when team is on a road trip, and somebody will get sudden injury at warm-up or something, illness happens. Then there's s spare-part warm body to fill lines. He fills that role.

There's just many things what it could be. I find only positives.

 

[Wood Stick]

He proably is a player-coach. Likes to train like a player and be in the lockerroom atmosphere. Esa Tikkanen said after his career, that most difficult thing was missing those lockerroom routines and talk. Maybe he teaches our kids to pros, shows example. Or maybe he is Ken Holland "eyes" on roadtrips. He'll report if somebody is starting to have bad habits.

Also, there has been situations in the past, when team is on a road trip, and somebody will get sudden injury at warm-up or something, illness happens. Then there's s spare-part warm body to fill lines. He fills that role.

There's just many things what it could be. I find only positives.

This. Dan Cleary seems really respected. You always see Bertuzzi and Sproul wearing his brand, etc.

 

[Reddwit]

I think part of the argument (Granted I've seen very little of Svech myself) is that he likes to play in front of the net, and in the dirty areas. Thus he could be effective even when not showing great amounts of skill, whereas Sheahan and Flip has much more vanilla games offensively. So when they aren't scoring they are just floating out there offensively. Svech also is a bit meaner too, which makes people think he is more engaged.All are pretty streaky players.

Unfortunately, I really disagree about him "liking" to play in front of the net, although that might be a semantic issue on my part. To me, he's not a net-driver and he doesn't consistently camp out there either, but he willingly does if asked to play that role and he will if he thats where the puck leads him. Thats nice and all - he certainly doesn't mind contact - but I don't think that's his game. In fact, my concern is that he doesn't know what his game is.

As for his skill, it isn't really about him not showing great amounts of skill. On the contrary, I think he has a ton of skill and shows it, albeit sporadically, almost every game. I can certainly see what the scouts saw when he was lauded for his Datsyukian-like skill. But having skill doesn't preclude him from having IQ or vision issues...

And with that, I just realized who he totally reminds me of: A post-Moore Bertuzzi. A Red Wings Bertuzzi. That's a guy who was sporadically physical, other times totally disengaged. A player who showed crazy amounts of deft skill, especially for his size (and especially in the shootout in Bert's case), but looked like an oaf on other shifts. And he played the net-front role fairly well and willingly, but was also versatile enough to be used elsewhere, even if he wasn't a stand-out there. Another guy who always left you wanting more (no pun intended)....

 

[Filppula]

2 goals and an assist for Frk last night. 12 GP, 8+4. Needs an opportunity.

 

[Henkka]

2 goals and an assist for Frk last night. 12 GP, 8+4. Needs an opportunity.

Btw, Pulkkinen has scored 8+7=15 in 14 AHL games at Iowa. These guys go hand-in-hand.