Post-Game Talk: Habs vs Buffalo Sabres - Rookie camp (Thursday Sept 15 7PM EST)

[Pompeius Magnus]

Any highlights ( asking for alot i know)

Our boy @montreal got your back

Give him a like and a subscribe !

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

Our boy @montreal got your back

Give him a like and a subscribe !

He always got my back. Doing gods work, I knew it would be in here somewhere!

 

[Mudz]

Anyway, as predicted, our goalies suck. And if people are just sad about losing, understand it's directly related to that. No matter how great the D is, goalies still hvae to make saves. Vrbetic is not that great of a goalie but a good bet to have made. Now let's see how Coulombe and Mercer does but don't hold your breath.

Exactly. Switch the goalies and we win. No big deal tho, it's a just a rookie tournament.

It's not some bad passes. It's more often than not. I always suspected his hockey IQ to be his weakness and it did not reassure me. I felt like he was behind the play and had a bad awarness of where his teammates were which lead to a lot of blind passes and a lot of danger passes.

One thing is for sure is that he's got a lot of tools and it is impressive to see that.

I would have liked to have seen that first. It seems like it would have changed a lot of my opinion if I did.

If anything, what impressed me the most about Slaf was his hockey IQ. Just like Caufield, it seems to be greatly underrated. Can't wait to see him with NHL talent.

 

[jaffy27]

Plan the parade while you’re at it!

 

[Hins77]

I feel the same about Xhekaj. I just don't care for Norlinder for some reason. He's not as impressive as he's made out to be. I see a career European league player there. I hope I'm wrong.

Feel the same. Norlinder was one of the oldest guy and he wasnt the best on the ice. I don’t know what we should expect about him.

 

[CoopersFalls]

Well the hot takes are certainly back. From sure-fire NHLers after one viewing, to career AHLers after one Rookie Camp game. HFBoards never disappoints!

 

[le_sean]

Ok fine. I’ll send him. Just cause you asked so nicely.


Frankly, the Habs dominated most of the play but had bad goaltending.

Awful goaltending. Vrbetic is not it.

 

[Gabrielor]

Hi friends.

I was there. The first period was yours; you came out at playoff speed. The 3rd was yours as well once you made it 4-3. The rest of the game was more back-and-forth.

Slafkovsky, Mesar stood out.

 

[BigDaddyLurch]

Hi friends.

I was there. The first period was yours; you came out at playoff speed. The 3rd was yours as well once you made it 4-3. The rest of the game was more back-and-forth.

Slafkovsky, Mesar stood out.

 

[donghabs98]

 

[cbtitan]

Here's my observations in short form.

Juraj Slafkovsky: As mentioned in his thread, you see why they made him the number 1 pick. The things he can do because of his unique blend of size and skill are just near impossible to find. Flashed his creativity and hands. Was an absolute unit out there. Didn't like how Houle used him on the PP and he'll need to be careful driving into the middle of the ice in NA but all in all, a really tantalizing debut.

Riley Kidney: His smarts and playmaking always shine through. We all know he needs to add more power to his skating and weight/muscle to his frame. On the PP he flashed the most. Kidney suffers from the same thing Mysak does and that's when he isn't the go-to guy on his team, he fades too much into the background and doesn't take charge. People are being too hard on him. That was the issue yesterday not an ability issue.

Filip Mesar: Now you can all see why I was so high on him all year. Quickness in skating, hands and thinking. I don't care how small he is, he's elusive. Beauty finish.

Emil Heineman: he is a guy that can definitely carve out a role in the NHL. The shot and release is NHL level and there's a power to his game even if there's skating mechanics issues to iron out.

Owen Beck: might be the player who impressed most in totality yesterday. He doesn't lose face-offs. He is smart and full of effort in his own end. He has sneaky skill with his hands, playmaking and shot. His speed is also really noticeable as well. Look for this kid to be leaned on heavily in 2 straight WJCs and be a coaches favorite at every level. He's a NHLer, the question is does he become Danault/Cirelli or can he push into the tier of ROR types?

Lucas Condotta: Good on him for stepping up after the hit on Slafkovsky. Should be a good AHL character guy.

Xavier Simoneau: He did some nice things but he didn't pop off the screen enough for a guy at his size. Some work to do to be on the radar the same way RHP put himself there.

Jan Mysak: he went and did his usual pro routine of being in the right place, covering defensively, supporting all over the ice. Suffers from the same issue that Kidney does. When he's not the go-to guy on the team, he fades into the background and doesn't take charge enough. He was a force in Hamilton until they brought in MacTavish. He was a force in the WJC for Czechia but didn't carry that same mentality onto this team.

Cedrick Guindon: I'm a fan of this pick but he wasn't able to keep up with this level of talent this year. Looking forward to see how he progresses by next year's camp.

Jared Davidson: Weird pick and didn't really do much for me to say he'd be anything but an AHL body.

Brett Stapley: One of the older guys around and had some flashes of skill in his limited ice-time. Skill is not the issue, it's how will he stand out in professional games against bigger, faster players.

Ryan Francis: Was just a guy, didn't stand out for me at all.

Mattias Norlinder: His skill level from the back-end is off the charts. Did many good things offensively and might have had the most moments offensively out of anyone. Defensively I think he was alright.. he played the shorthanded goal about as well as he could. He didn't get himself into too much trouble but wasn't getting them out of trouble unless he had the puck on his stick.

Justin Barron: was expecting him to take charge a bit more after his NHL stint last year. I don't think he was bad by any means but he got caught up ice a few too many times. His skating is obviously really good, he's rangy and involved. I don't agree with the usage of him on PP1 (use 4 forwards) and the same thing happened trying to tie the game. He won't be there in the NHL and he showed why, he just can't manipulate defenders well enough to get that shot through and he's not an elite playmaker.

William Trudeau: He was solid out there. Nothing excellent on either end of the ice though. Might earn himself the Stapley AHL contract but don't think he gets signed with the amount of better defensive prospects in system.

Jordan Harris: He's a NHLer, it's up to him if he's a bottom pairing guy or whether he can carve out a career like a Johnny Oduya as a #4. Smooth skater. Smooth thinker. Everything is smooth. Under control and calm.

Arber Xhekaj: Man, what a year of development for him. Last year, I thought he was cool as a physical defender that we could sign and use in the AHL. But his skating, skill level and approach to the game has come leaps and bounds. There is a real path here to a better version of Chiarot or a very lite version of Weber with the physical game and the slapper.

Miguel Tourigny: Had some flashes of skill that ultimately didn't lend itself to anything productive. Start in 3R and let's see what you can do in the pro ranks.

Joe Vrbetic: I liked the selection, I think he was worth a gamble that late in the draft. His development has been pretty stagnant. For 'I Think You Should Leave' fans, he's a chunky. Figure out what you do. If you're gonna be big, be big, but he makes himself small. If you're not gonna be big, be dynamic but his skating isn't there nor is there power in his legs. So if you're not gonna be dynamic, but early and be a vacuum. The rebound control was bad. Big guys take long to develop so I'm fine with giving him a couple of 3R/AHL contracts and monitor. But his time will run out once Dobes, Dichow and anyone else like Croteau or higher drafted goalies in the next two drafts come into the fold.

Kidney should be back in Bathurst this season, but prior to that he should play a couple of preseason games with the Habs and should be on the TCJ roster next Christmas....
Then he will be traded to a contender where he will lead to a strong playoff run....
The leadership is made through opportunities in the junior ranks and pro ranks.

If I am one of the Habs smarts, I would push this boy to manhood asap as he has quite the tools to shine at the pro level.

As for Tourigny, the desire and the grit will bring him as high as possible and he will never stop short of a full effort....this is the type of player a team needs....I would describe him as a Brian Gallagher type on D.

 

[Xirik]

Its nice to see the love Beck is getting, He probably won't be a star or a top line forward but He's a skilled you can trust to always do the right thing on the ice and always compete every shift. As a person said earlier in the thread it will be interesting to see if he turns into a Danault/Cirelli type player or can push himself to be someone like Bo Horvat.

If Suzuki wasn't just named Captain of the Habs I would say that Beck is future captain material.

 

[calder candidate]

Beck and Mesar really player well considering that most other guy on the ice were older, they out played a lot of guys.

 

[NewDef]

Yeah that assessment wasn't what I saw at all. He skates very well for a big man. He went into the corner with 2 other guys to get the puck. He's a beast, a real power forward. He was the driving force on his line. Anyone comparing this kid to Galchenyuk or KK is out to lunch. Those two were projects this kid is NHL ready right now. He just has a few bad habits and that can be coached.

I was really impressed with Owen Beck as well he could be a real steal for a 2nd rounder.

I liked Beck's discussion at the Ch combine. You good at face off? yes very good. How good? The best in the league. Oh we did'nt know hahahaha....

Epic

 

[Stive Morgan]

After watching Slaf, Mesar, Norlinder, Xhekaj, Beck, Harris, Heineman, and Kidney I also did some beef stroganoff

Gave me a much-needed laugh today lmao, thanks

 

[Stive Morgan]

I liked Beck's discussion at the Ch combine. You good at face off? yes very good. How good? The best in the league. Oh we did'nt know hahahaha....

Epic

It reminded me of that old clip from like 2011-2014 ish where the guy says "I'm gonna win this faceoff right here! #1 in the league! Look me up on NHL.com!" Anyone got that clip? I can't find it I think it was a Ranger or Flyer

 

[Beer and Chips]

Only saw some of the second and the third but what stood out was puck control, and what Hutson would have looked like in this group. One game of young players thrown together doesn't mean much though.

 

[MtlSars]

You know who's been a quietly good in this tournament? Jordan Harris

 

[NewDef]

You know who's been a quietly good in this tournament? Jordan Harris

Harris is a sure bet Nhler. He's just aware, in control, well round up. Not going to be a punishing def but he wont have to. Good first pass, smart. In due time, I see a good safe agile #4 playing with a fast riskier offensive #3 like Matheson.

Worst case, he's a mature safe #5 playing with a young gun and keeping him safe from its growth mistakes. Kinda like Markov has been with Subban. If sides matches, i'd see him with a Mailloux when he makes his debuts.

 

[Scintillating10]

This game is entirely on YouTube for those that missed it