Prospect Info: Hershey Bears/South Carolina Stingrays 2020-2021 Vol. 1

[CapitalsCupReality]

How does Kempny look? Has he smoothed out some of the kinks in his game that were pretty evident in pre-season

I thought he looked ok.

 

[usiel]

i was using safari, ended up working it out…..AHL tv app worked ok.

Eww Safari.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Eww Safari.

iPad viewing…

 

[usiel]

iPad viewing…

Ahh ok that is worthy of a pass.

 

[Strawberry Fields]

Tied 1-1 after two. Bears are dominating possession and have a 25-15 shot advantage but just haven't been able to capitalize on some big chances. Lot of weak chest snipes and pucks straight to the glove too, though. It took a 5 on 3 to finally beat Berube. No one has stood out in particular but a solid overall team effort through two. McIlrath definitely hasn't impressed too much imo. I feel uneasy whenever he's on the ice. Bears are dressing 7 d tonight with Wittchow playing on the 4th line with Gersich and Malenstyn.

Also a fan got knocked out during the intermission dodgeball game, was down on the ice for close to 10 mins. It wasn't needed but they brought out the stretcher and everything. Been going to Bears games almost 20 years and never seen anything like this.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Lol wow, crazy! Hope they’re ok!

 

[Corby78]

Tied 1-1 after two. Bears are dominating possession and have a 25-15 shot advantage but just haven't been able to capitalize on some big chances. Lot of weak chest snipes and pucks straight to the glove too, though. It took a 5 on 3 to finally beat Berube. No one has stood out in particular but a solid overall team effort through two. McIlrath definitely hasn't impressed too much imo. I feel uneasy whenever he's on the ice. Bears are dressing 7 d tonight with Wittchow playing on the 4th line with Gersich and Malenstyn.

Also a fan got knocked out during the intermission dodgeball game, was down on the ice for close to 10 mins. It wasn't needed but they brought out the stretcher and everything. Been going to Bears games almost 20 years and never seen anything like this.

Soooo no more dodgeball on the ice in assuming…

 

[Strawberry Fields]

2-1 shootout loss. Still a pretty good third period with a couple great kills (Pinho had a breakaway) and another period full of missed and blown opportunities. I swear Vecchione alone had three or four great chances blow up on his stick tonight. Team couldn't capitalize on a powerplay with under two minutes to go in the third.

Then came the extra sessions. The Bears may be Caps farm hands but tonight they looked more like graduates of the Philadelphia Flyers School of Overtime Ineptitude. Not a single shot in ot, no real possession and Fucale saved their bacon a few times. Eight rounds of no goals in the shootout until Kevin Stenlund buried one for the Monsters. A fair amount to like overall but I'd like to see them bury more chances- they probably could've won this game 3 or 4-1. But I guess that's just the game of hockey, sometimes the bounces go your way and sometimes they don't.

AJF still looked good despite not finding the scoresheet, he's all over the ice. Lujo looks consistently solid, good to see after missing so much time. Kempny also looking solid on both sides of the puck- had a great slap pass to (I think) Vecchione on one of the many aforementioned golden chances missed. Pilon took a really stupid retaliatory penalty with under 10 to go in the third, punching a Monster in the back in plain view of the ref. A Dylan McIlrath tumble has now been responsible for a goal against in both games I've been to this season. Would love for Nardella to replace him whenever he returns... or even Wittchow for right now.

Clark left the game late in the third after taking a hard slapper to the leg (maybe ankle). Took him a while to get up and could barely hobble back to the bench. Allen said no update on him yet during his postgame presser. Hope he recovers soon because that line of him-AJF-Protas has looked great every time I've watched.

 

[Holtbyisms]

My thoughts on the bears game tonight...blew this one. Completely outplayed them Monster through the entire game except OT(lost in a shootout). McIlrath is terrible, pray we don't see him in DC this year...he was at fault for the lone goal. LuJo looking solid but not flashy. Let's see if he can stay healthy for an entire season and build on it. Tobias Geisser has really blossomed. He looks so much more under control than the last time I watched him. Spending another year in the NL and playing a lot of minutes really did him good. Alexeyev didn't stand out, played OK but he's not nearly as ready as Fever. AJF looked good and was flying around in both zones. Liked what I saw from Melenstyn, especially on the PK and forchecking. Clark took a really rough slapper to the skate boot and they had to blow the play dead because he couldn't get off the ice...hope I'm wrong but it looked pretty bad. Pilon continues to impress me despite taking a really stupid penalty late in the third. He lost his cool and sucker punched someone in the back of the head. Ended up killing it off but not a good look. I love the elite penalty killing we have in Hershey, makes me feel like Haglin is super expendable even if it's this year at the deadline to get some cap space. Last but not least, Protas looks super dangerous everytime the puck is on his stick. He made some really slick passes on the 2nd PP unit and had a glorious chance from the slot early on but got robbed.

 

[DWGie26]

2-1 shootout loss. Still a pretty good third period with a couple great kills (Pinho had a breakaway) and another period full of missed and blown opportunities. I swear Vecchione alone had three or four great chances blow up on his stick tonight. Team couldn't capitalize on a powerplay with under two minutes to go in the third.

Then came the extra sessions. The Bears may be Caps farm hands but tonight they looked more like graduates of the Philadelphia Flyers School of Overtime Ineptitude. Not a single shot in ot, no real possession and Fucale saved their bacon a few times. Eight rounds of no goals in the shootout until Kevin Stenlund buried one for the Monsters. A fair amount to like overall but I'd like to see them bury more chances- they probably could've won this game 3 or 4-1. But I guess that's just the game of hockey, sometimes the bounces go your way and sometimes they don't.

AJF still looked good despite not finding the scoresheet, he's all over the ice. Lujo looks consistently solid, good to see after missing so much time. Kempny also looking solid on both sides of the puck- had a great slap pass to (I think) Vecchione on one of the many aforementioned golden chances missed. Pilon took a really stupid retaliatory penalty with under 10 to go in the third, punching a Monster in the back in plain view of the ref. A Dylan McIlrath tumble has now been responsible for a goal against in both games I've been to this season. Would love for Nardella to replace him whenever he returns... or even Wittchow for right now.

Clark left the game late in the third after taking a hard slapper to the leg (maybe ankle). Took him a while to get up and could barely hobble back to the bench. Allen said no update on him yet during his postgame presser. Hope he recovers soon because that line of him-AJF-Protas has looked great every time I've watched.

I believe Leason was playing that right wing with AJF and Protas before getting called up. That is good indicator for both AJF and Protas. How has Beck Malenstyn looked? I thought he was great in Caps camp so hate seeing him down on the 4th line but i guess that is what he is at either level.

 

[DWGie26]

My thoughts on the bears game tonight...blew this one. Completely outplayed them Monster through the entire game except OT(lost in a shootout). McIlrath is terrible, pray we don't see him in DC this year...he was at fault for the lone goal. LuJo looking solid but not flashy. Let's see if he can stay healthy for an entire season and build on it. Tobias Geisser has really blossomed. He looks so much more under control than the last time I watched him. Spending another year in the NL and playing a lot of minutes really did him good. Alexeyev didn't stand out, played OK but he's not nearly as ready as Fever. AJF looked good and was flying around in both zones. Liked what I saw from Melenstyn, especially on the PK and forchecking. Clark took a really rough slapper to the skate boot and they had to blow the play dead because he couldn't get off the ice...hope I'm wrong but it looked pretty bad. Pilon continues to impress me despite taking a really stupid penalty late in the third. He lost his cool and sucker punched someone in the back of the head. Ended up killing it off but not a good look. I love the elite penalty killing we have in Hershey, makes me feel like Haglin is super expendable even if it's this year at the deadline to get some cap space. Last but not least, Protas looks super dangerous everytime the puck is on his stick. He made some really slick passes on the 2nd PP unit and had a glorious chance from the slot early on but got robbed.

Good to hear on Beck. God we need some right handed dee farm hands. Still gonna be a couple of years with the guys we drafted this plus Has in juniors.

 

[Strawberry Fields]

I believe Leason was playing that right wing with AJF and Protas before getting called up. That is good indicator for both AJF and Protas. How has Beck Malenstyn looked? I thought he was great in Caps camp so hate seeing him down on the 4th line but i guess that is what he is at either level.

You're totally right, Clark was on the fourth line the first game I went to, he's been played on the pp so I got it jumbled in my mixed up brain of mine, lol Yes, AJF and Protas have been great together, they've probably been my two favorite Bears going back to the end of last year (save for McMichael... was hoping I'd get to see more of him ). I think anyone short of Kessy would look pretty good next to them, they're always creating chances, though Clark's been a bit more noticeable so far this year than his first two imo.

Beck has looked as good as you'd expect. Tenacious, physical (usually has at least one notable hit in the games I've seen), good in his own end. I think Hershey probably has four or five guys who could be in an NHL bottom six right now, Beck being one of them.

 

[Strawberry Fields]

Garbage first period today but they rebounded with some much more even play in the second and third.

McIlrath is garbage. Took an unnecessary penalty with just about no time left on the clock to put the Bears shorthanded for the first two minutes of OT. The Monsters had the Bears hemmed for most of the pp but the kill still didn't give up too many chances. Pinho with a great diving effort managed to clear it toward the end of the pp.

Axel, get this man on an NHL roster now. Great 2 on 1 snipe to win the game in OT. He belongs somewhere in the NHL whether it's in DC or not.

Clark was out as expected, Protas also didn't play but Fisch never specified why beyond "unavailable to the team tonight."

 

[hb12xchamps]

Have been in Florida on vacation so haven’t been able to watch outside of checking box scores and Twitter highlights. Thanks for the write ups guys!

McIlrath should absolutely sit once Nardella gets fully healthy. Everyone else is playing fairly well. I’d even look at giving Jordan Subban a recall and a few games. McIlrath is Eddie Wittchow, but a RH shot and a 1st round pick attached to his resume.

 

[txpd]

Have been in Florida on vacation so haven’t been able to watch outside of checking box scores and Twitter highlights. Thanks for the write ups guys!

McIlrath should absolutely sit once Nardella gets fully healthy. Everyone else is playing fairly well. I’d even look at giving Jordan Subban a recall and a few games. McIlrath is Eddie Wittchow, but a RH shot and a 1st round pick attached to his resume.

I have an annual work trip in Florida in early January. Florida has my attention. Its line being behind COVID enemy lines.

 

[itsjustsurvival]

How has Franson looked 5 on 5 so far? From point totals and watching a few highlights recently seems to being doing well, but was curious if anyone has watched whole games and noticed anything positive/negative about his overall play.

 

[Strawberry Fields]

 

[hb12xchamps]

Nard Dog is back. Hoping to see him back in action tonight

 

[DWGie26]

Nard Dog is back. Hoping to see him back in action tonight

I love it! Will definitely take him a few games to get going but will be interesting to see how he develops across this season. He was on a very good path until he got hurt.

 

[Holtbyisms]

Thank goodness, hopefully this means McIlrath only suits up if we're expecting a heavyweight on the other side...and maybe at wing not on D.

 

[Holtbyisms]

How has Franson looked 5 on 5 so far? From point totals and watching a few highlights recently seems to being doing well, but was curious if anyone has watched whole games and noticed anything positive/negative about his overall play.

I think he's looked really good, he's definitely one of those guys who's almost too talented to stay in the AHL but just can't be consistent enough at the next level to stick in the NHL anymore. It seems as his career is winding down the NHL has passed him by but he's still got plenty of juice for the AHL and experience and leadership to pass around to a younger group of guys. I've been nothing but pleased with him so far.

 

[Strawberry Fields]

Had tickets to tonight's game but being sick kept me home to watch on AHL TV. Wow, am I glad I couldn't go! Undisciplined game (though they killed every penalty) and despite the shot count there were very few moments in the game I felt the Bears were actually in control.

Protas had a brutal turnover leading directly to the first goal, picked up the puck along the boards in the d zone and flung it into the slot right to the Bruins rather than chip it ahead and try to clear. Very uncharacteristic of him. Clark was miffed with a perceived non call against him so he responded with a braindead retaliatory crosscheck right in front of the ref.

Copley looked solid again after a rough first couple games; definitely couldn't have done anything about the first goal.

 

[hb12xchamps]

I was at the game tonight. I don't necessarily agree that they didn't have control of the game. When the Bears play 5 on 5 they dominate puck possession and work the cycle fairly well. The real issue is the lack of discipline and having to kill 5+ penalties every single game. It wears on the team and completely throws them out of any type of rhythm they've got going.

The offense also has dried up significantly. That's primarily due to injuries and recalls. Bears were without Pinho and Vecchione tonight due to injury. Protas played this evening and has the brutal turnover as Strawberry noted above. He was not good in the first period and you could tell he was a guy who has been traveling and away from the team for a bit. He ended up getting PP1 time and that unit was very good despite not putting the puck in the net.

The defense was pretty solid for the most part. Kempny has been rock solid and seems to be rounding into form. You can tell that both he and Franson have the NHL experience. Kempny had a few chances in the third to tie the game up, but Providence's goaltender made some nice stops. Alexeyev didn't have a good night. He hasn't taken that next step in his game like everyone hoped he would. He truly hasn't played at the level he did last year and I think it would be beneficial to move him back to LD at this point. Nardella can play the right side.

AJF, Malenstyn, Gersich, Sutter and Snively were the forwards getting PK reps. AJF ended up getting extra shifts towards the end of the game. He is very good on the forecheck and on puck retrieval. I hope he gets rewarded with a recall if Washington makes a recall this week.

 

[Strawberry Fields]

I was at the game tonight. I don't necessarily agree that they didn't have control of the game. When the Bears play 5 on 5 they dominate puck possession and work the cycle fairly well. The real issue is the lack of discipline and having to kill 5+ penalties every single game. It wears on the team and completely throws them out of any type of rhythm they've got going.

The offense also has dried up significantly. That's primarily due to injuries and recalls. Bears were without Pinho and Vecchione tonight due to injury. Protas played this evening and has the brutal turnover as Strawberry noted above. He was not good in the first period and you could tell he was a guy who has been traveling and away from the team for a bit. He ended up getting PP1 time and that unit was very good despite not putting the puck in the net.

The defense was pretty solid for the most part. Kempny has been rock solid and seems to be rounding into form. You can tell that both he and Franson have the NHL experience. Kempny had a few chances in the third to tie the game up, but Providence's goaltender made some nice stops. Alexeyev didn't have a good night. He hasn't taken that next step in his game like everyone hoped he would. He truly hasn't played at the level he did last year and I think it would be beneficial to move him back to LD at this point. Nardella can play the right side.

AJF, Malenstyn, Gersich, Sutter and Snively were the forwards getting PK reps. AJF ended up getting extra shifts towards the end of the game. He is very good on the forecheck and on puck retrieval. I hope he gets rewarded with a recall if Washington makes a recall this week.

I think at the very least this was the least "in control" I've seen them in a game this year (granted I've only seen the home games)- every other game I saw long stretches where I felt they were dominating the game, and I felt no matter what they were in the game or had a chance. Like last Saturday against Cleveland, they didn't score until late in the 2nd but like you said, they totally dominated possession and the cycle game. I guess it was just a different vibe I got tonight. From the time PRO potted their first one I just felt they didn't have it in them to come back tonight.

I do totally agree on lack of discipline which played a huge factor in my control opinion and has definitely a major issue tonight and many nights recently. The Bears' PK has been great so far but like you said, there's only so much time you can spend in the o zone when you're shorthanded so many times every game.

 

[hb12xchamps]

I think at the very least this was the least "in control" I've seen them in a game this year (granted I've only seen the home games)- every other game I saw long stretches where I felt they were dominating the game, and I felt no matter what they were in the game or had a chance. Like last Saturday against Cleveland, they didn't score until late in the 2nd but like you said, they totally dominated possession and the cycle game. I guess it was just a different vibe I got tonight. From the time PRO potted their first one I just felt they didn't have it in them to come back tonight.

I do totally agree on lack of discipline which played a huge factor in my control opinion and has definitely a major issue tonight and many nights recently. The Bears' PK has been great so far but like you said, there's only so much time you can spend in the o zone when you're shorthanded so many times every game.

Understandable. They lack a true “finisher” this year as opposed to previous years. My suggestion for Scott Allen would be to split up that top line of Snively-Sgarbossa-Pilon and move those guys around to help even out the scoring with the injuries. Moulson is another one that has seemed a bit off. You could see the frustration on his face quite a bit tonight. Maybe Father Time is finally catching up to him. Or maybe this is just one of those overall situations where the floodgates will open if the team can have a high scoring game in the near future.

A lot of the guys on the PK have played a lot of minutes so far. You’d hope they can really cut down on the lack of discipline because that’s going to wear on them as the season progresses. Allen was very blunt in his postgame presser that they need to stop taking penalties.

They have a solid team that can compete for a cup. I’d move a defender for another forward if they can at some point. Perhaps once Nardella is truly back and in form. That will truly set them over the top.