Prospect Info: Jacob Bernard-Docker (D) 3 year ELC signed

[supsens]

when we subbed out braydon Coburn, anisimov, josh brown, and pacquette, there was a clear change in level of play. We went from getting blown out in almost each game to being competitive (I want to say it started when they went for their first game to Montreal). You can also make the argument that Murray started playing better too but there’s enough empirical evidence to suggest there was a noticeable improvement in our record

Brown is playing and the team is winning. Having better 3rd or fourth liners does not matter if your top 6 is a tire fire.
As soon as Norris started scoring goals they got better now that Batherson joined in again they are winning

 

[SensHulk]

Brown is playing and the team is winning. Having better 3rd or fourth liners does not matter if your top 6 is a tire fire.
As soon as Norris started scoring goals they got better now that Batherson joined in again they are winning

I get your point. Several of our youngsters have elevated their game. Josh Brown is one of them, but he was horrible those first few games and then he sat out like 20 straight or something. Mike Reilly was terrible too, but he did turn things around.

Brown improved, I’ll give him credit. But he was still detrimental early in the season

 

[Ice-Tray]

Sure it’s all speculation but that’s my opinion. Just like you thinking Zub playing well is because of DJ can’t definitively be proven so now you can stop making up stuff man

Huh? I mean every single person asked, including players on the team, say that they are a very well coached team.

But yes, by all means that’s all happening despite the head coach. I mean that would be pretty funny to imagine through, guys doing all kinds of drills around DJ at practice while he screams to deaf ears “stop guys! C’mon guys!!”

 

[Burrowsaurus]

Huh? I mean every single person asked, including players on the team, say that they are a very well coached team.

But yes, by all means that’s all happening despite the head coach. I mean that would be pretty funny to imagine through, guys doing all kinds of drills around DJ at practice while he screams to deaf ears “stop guys! C’mon guys!!”

I mean, terrible coaches that have been fired for being terrible have also successfully run drills in their practices.
I doubt DJ transformed Zub in the handful of practices they had together before zubs first game

 

[Do Make Say Think]

It is all about easing players in.

So far, DJ's easing of players in has worked out well.

I'll give him the benefit of the doubt for now.

 

[Ice-Tray]

I mean, terrible coaches that have been fired for being terrible have also successfully run drills in their practices.
I doubt DJ transformed Zub in the handful of practices they had together before zubs first game

Sure, but it made me chuckle. It’s been talked about already about Zub. Apparently his slow injection into the games was due to a massive culture adjustment and having almost zero English.

They let the guy adjust to North America, learn a little English, and get comfortable with his new league, team, and teammates.

As with all of our other young players, there was zero reason to rush the guy into games. His long term success was far more important than the value of games to start this season. Same goes for the rest of the kids.

DJ didn’t make Zub awesome, he gave Zub time to acclimatize before dealing with game pressure.

 

[saskriders]

It is all about easing players in.

So far, DJ's easing of players in has worked out well.

I'll give him the benefit of the doubt for now.

Yeah, I've been thinking it is probably a good thing young guys have had to earn a spot over someone (regardless of how good that someone was), we weren't going to compete this season so development should be the goal. I do wish we had gotten one less guy so we could have kept Balcers on the roster though, but not the worst mistake by any means.

 

[JD1]

when we subbed out braydon Coburn, anisimov, josh brown, and pacquette, there was a clear change in level of play. We went from getting blown out in almost each game to being competitive (I want to say it started when they went for their first game to Montreal). You can also make the argument that Murray started playing better too but there’s enough empirical evidence to suggest there was a noticeable improvement in our record

And yet here's Josh Brown playing regular minutes in the best stretch we've had.

All those guys i listed....those guys are playing better, they're playing within a structure that seems to be well understood compared to where we were 40 games ago.

 

[JD1]

What do you think I mean by ‘in spite’? Yeah he’s not going out his way to destroy or sabotage Zub, not what I’m saying at all. DJ Smith didn’t give him an opportunity early onwards and chose to go with his traditional guys. And then the losing started, our defensive coverage was suspect, vets were not being held accountable and the young players were getting blamed by the coach publicly, there was nobody stabilizing backend. Then DJ smith finally inserted him in the lineup like 7 or 8 games later. So he’s done well despite the coach not giving him a chance early enough or showing confidence in his play. His arm was twisted because of our record. How else would you want me to relay this point?

I’ll accept that ‘in spite’ is poor wording, probably should have said despite the coach not trusting him early, Zub showed he was more than capable of handling the workload so I don’t think someone like DJ should get credit for the success of Zub.

Sigh...I hope that clears things up now.

Well, when you use the phrase "in spite of" i think you mean is "in spite of"

The situation to start this year was unprecedented. No hockey for us for 10 months. Limited camp. No exhibition. Big turnover. That scenario was more difficult for Ottawa to manage than most teams and it should be obvious why.

But eventually we land on criticism for criticisms sake. Iirc, DJ started Wolanin and sat Reilly 1st game? So that's not vet over rookie. Wolanin was a f***ing disaster and Reilly played well for us.

Zub was a wild card. Unknown entity. Couldn't speak the language. And one of the things that's interesting about him is he's not the kind of guy that would stand out in a camp situation. Zub reads plays very well. He makes subtle moves that result in needing to make short passes. He's really good along the boards, more physical than his weight would make you think. All signs of a solid player. Not much of it stands out in a camp though skating around pylons. He's not fast so that doesn't stand out. He doesn't have a cannon so that doesn't stand out. He's not going to get PP reps so that doesn't stand out. There was nothing more than video of him in terms of game action. So what do you do with a guy that you've never actually seen play bockey live that you can't communicate with? You see the problem?

There's so many f***ing experts here. Go back and look at preseason lineups. how many guys had Zub and reilly playing ahead of Wolanin?

Earlier this year we got spanked by Vancouver. something like -12 in 3 games. We just took 3 of 4 from them. It's a touch naive to believe that is because Mete is an upgrade over Coburn...i don't even know if Coburn played in those games. Those guys I listed, they were part of the early season drubbing at the hands of Vancouver and they led the charge in taking 3 of 4 from them.

 

[Ice-Tray]

The kid will play, this is much ado about nothing. One thing is for sure though, he’s loving life hanging around and practicing with, his new NHL club.

 

[SensHulk]

Well, when you use the phrase "in spite of" i think you mean is "in spite of"

The situation to start this year was unprecedented. No hockey for us for 10 months. Limited camp. No exhibition. Big turnover. That scenario was more difficult for Ottawa to manage than most teams and it should be obvious why.

But eventually we land on criticism for criticisms sake. Iirc, DJ started Wolanin and sat Reilly 1st game? So that's not vet over rookie. Wolanin was a f***ing disaster and Reilly played well for us.

Zub was a wild card. Unknown entity. Couldn't speak the language. And one of the things that's interesting about him is he's not the kind of guy that would stand out in a camp situation. Zub reads plays very well. He makes subtle moves that result in needing to make short passes. He's really good along the boards, more physical than his weight would make you think. All signs of a solid player. Not much of it stands out in a camp though skating around pylons. He's not fast so that doesn't stand out. He doesn't have a cannon so that doesn't stand out. He's not going to get PP reps so that doesn't stand out. There was nothing more than video of him in terms of game action. So what do you do with a guy that you've never actually seen play bockey live that you can't communicate with? You see the problem?

There's so many f***ing experts here. Go back and look at preseason lineups. how many guys had Zub and reilly playing ahead of Wolanin?

Earlier this year we got spanked by Vancouver. something like -12 in 3 games. We just took 3 of 4 from them. It's a touch naive to believe that is because Mete is an upgrade over Coburn...i don't even know if Coburn played in those games. Those guys I listed, they were part of the early season drubbing at the hands of Vancouver and they led the charge in taking 3 of 4 from them.

agree to disagree then , we started playing noticeably better once we started benching the likes of Coburn, Brown, Pacquette. Take a look at our record once that road trip was over, you can call it naive but there’s enough empirical evidence there that shows our play started improving. We could finally play a system more beneficial to our players instead of relying on slow players. If you don’t think DJ Smith made poor choices early in the season then there’s not much else I can do to convince you. I saw a completely different team starting feb 5th (and yes Coburn did play against Vancouver and got walked).

EDIT: 1-8-1 before Feb 4th. Since then, 18-19-3. This is a direct correlation to when J brown and B Coburn started getting benched more frequently as opposed to playing regular minutes every game (go check the box scores, Brannstrom came in that game and Zub came in a game before)

 

[aragorn]

agree to disagree then , we started playing noticeably better once we started benching the likes of Coburn, Brown, Pacquette. Take a look at our record once that road trip was over, you can call it naive but there’s enough empirical evidence there that shows our play started improving. We could finally play a system more beneficial to our players instead of relying on slow players. If you don’t think DJ Smith made poor choices early in the season then there’s not much else I can do to convince you. I saw a completely different team starting feb 5th (and yes Coburn did play against Vancouver and got walked).

I would argue that the team was better when they started to get better goaltending which started with Daccord coming in & then Gustavsson. Once Murray & then Hogberg came back from mysterious illness or injuries they played a little better too, but by then the team was starting to turn it around anyway thanks to IMO much better goaltending. IMO that was the number one reason the team got off to such a crappy start was due to terrible goaltending.

While I admit some of those guys weren't great they did have NHL experience & success before coming here & maybe were asked to do too much to start the yr idk. However, it doesn't matter how well you play if you don't get NHL goaltending you're not going to win in this league & the goalies were brutal to start the yr.

 

[SensHulk]

I would argue that the team was better when they started to get better goaltending which started with Daccord coming in & then Gustavsson. Once Murray & then Hogberg came back from mysterious illness or injuries they played a little better too, but by then the team was starting to turn it around anyway thanks to IMO much better goaltending. IMO that was the number one reason the team got off to such a crappy start was due to terrible goaltending.

While I admit some of those guys weren't great they did have NHL experience & success before coming here & maybe were asked to do too much to start the yr idk. However, it doesn't matter how well you play if you don't get NHL goaltending you're not going to win in this league & the goalies were brutal to start the yr.

true goaltending is a big part of it and I can’t blame DJ Smith for that. That was some really bad tending early on, but there was some horrendous d-zone coverage as well so you could also argue the goaltending improved once the quality chances against reduced. The tides started changing once Zub got in and we finally started playing more of the young up and comers. We had choices available from the start, that’s my point. I think we could have improved all-around much earlier than when we did and it’s due to us giving a much longer leash to the vets. This was like the number one topic at that time, it’s not just the fans complaining for the sake of complaining as others have alluded to.

 

[aragorn]

true goaltending is a big part of it and I can’t blame DJ Smith for that. That was some really bad tending early on, but there was some horrendous d-zone coverage as well so you could also argue the goaltending improved once the quality chances against reduced. The tides started changing once Zub got in and we finally started playing more of the young up and comers. We had choices available from the start, that’s my point. I think we could have improved all-around much earlier than when we did and it’s due to us giving a much longer leash to the vets. This was like the number one topic at that time, it’s not just the fans complaining for the sake of complaining as others have alluded to.

I think the two go hand in hand, when the goaltending got better so did the d-zone coverage. I would also argue that once the forwards started coming back a little deeper into the d-zone it really helped the defence. I don't think it was all the defence fault, but I certainly think goaltending had to improve or it would have gone even worse.

 

[JD1]

agree to disagree then , we started playing noticeably better once we started benching the likes of Coburn, Brown, Pacquette. Take a look at our record once that road trip was over, you can call it naive but there’s enough empirical evidence there that shows our play started improving. We could finally play a system more beneficial to our players instead of relying on slow players. If you don’t think DJ Smith made poor choices early in the season then there’s not much else I can do to convince you. I saw a completely different team starting feb 5th (and yes Coburn did play against Vancouver and got walked).

EDIT: 1-8-1 before Feb 4th. Since then, 18-19-3. This is a direct correlation to when J brown and B Coburn started getting benched more frequently as opposed to playing regular minutes every game (go check the box scores, Brannstrom came in that game and Zub came in a game before)

So was Brannstrom not starting the season a DJ thing?

 

[SensHulk]

So was Brannstrom not starting the season a DJ thing?

Brannstrom not starting the season wasn’t a DJ thing because he got covid and needed time to recover, but I’m pretty sure he was available midway through that losing streak and they didn’t want to call him up. It’s been widely regarded that there was a big fan uproar that possibly forced Brannstrom into the lineup when they came back East (Shawn Simpson had alluded to this). They basically got spanked hard on the west coast, what did they finally have to lose? Icing a losing lineup for 9 straight games will force some hands

now let me ask you, was playing anisimov over white not a DJ Smith thing? How about not adjusting when Coburn and Brown were getting walked? Derek Stepan continuing to get prime minutes while contributing a grand total of 1 goal? There really were no other options eh? Did DJ not bench Brannstrom like 9 straight games despite him going to Belleville and performing above expectations? At some point it’s pretty clear DJ doesn’t always want to see the light, and now Brannstrom is playing regular minutes after the trade deadline so maybe where there’s smoke there’s fire too

 

[Crosside]

I would argue that the team was better when they started to get better goaltending which started with Daccord coming in & then Gustavsson. Once Murray & then Hogberg came back from mysterious illness or injuries they played a little better too, but by then the team was starting to turn it around anyway thanks to IMO much better goaltending. IMO that was the number one reason the team got off to such a crappy start was due to terrible goaltending.

While I admit some of those guys weren't great they did have NHL experience & success before coming here & maybe were asked to do too much to start the yr idk. However, it doesn't matter how well you play if you don't get NHL goaltending you're not going to win in this league & the goalies were brutal to start the yr.

Murray have a good stretch before his first injury at Winnipeg

 

[JD1]

Brannstrom not starting the season wasn’t a DJ thing because he got covid and needed time to recover, but I’m pretty sure he was available midway through that losing streak and they didn’t want to call him up. It’s been widely regarded that there was a big fan uproar that possibly forced Brannstrom into the lineup when they came back East (Shawn Simpson had alluded to this). They basically got spanked hard on the west coast, what did they finally have to lose? Icing a losing lineup for 9 straight games will force some hands

now let me ask you, was playing anisimov over white not a DJ Smith thing? How about not adjusting when Coburn and Brown were getting walked? Derek Stepan continuing to get prime minutes while contributing a grand total of 1 goal? There really were no other options eh? Did DJ not bench Brannstrom like 9 straight games despite him going to Belleville and performing above expectations? At some point it’s pretty clear DJ doesn’t always want to see the light, and now Brannstrom is playing regular minutes after the trade deadline so maybe where there’s smoke there’s fire too

Brannstrom quarantined twice. He missed camp. He got in the line up when he was ready to go. The team put him in in response to fan pressure? I'm out. Not worth my time. Ignore button. Bye

 

[SensHulk]

Brannstrom quarantined twice. He missed camp. He got in the line up when he was ready to go. The team put him in in response to fan pressure? I'm out. Not worth my time. Ignore button. Bye

cool thanks for answering my questions. Beat it loser

 

[JD1]

cool thanks for answering my questions. Beat it loser

Earlier you said Zub is playing well in spite if Smith. Your words.

Them you said fan uproar possibly led to Brannstrom playing. Again, your words

Your questions aren't worth answering.

Go back and look at the exchange i had with Hale where i said i couldn't explain why some people understand the game better than others but they just do

I cannot explain why you believe what you do but if at some point you start posting stuff where it appears you understand the game...we'll chat...until then...I'm out

 

[SensHulk]

Earlier you said Zub is playing well in spite if Smith. Your words.

Them you said fan uproar possibly led to Brannstrom playing. Again, your words

Your questions aren't worth answering.

Go back and look at the exchange i had with Hale where i said i couldn't explain why some people understand the game better than others but they just do

I cannot explain why you believe what you do but if at some point you start posting stuff where it appears you understand the game...we'll chat...until then...I'm out

I acknowledged that maybe those were the wrong words and clarified the point. I didn’t even say that was 100% the reason Brannstrom got in and just alluded tot he fact there was a lot of fan uproar. I think I’ve given enough and acknowledged your points while you’ve done none of it despite providing you stats and in turn asked you to explain some of DJ’s actions. I understand the game plenty, if you can’t understand my perspectives or rather even take an effort to see it then yes not worth any of our times. Have a nice day

 

[Imnotagoodposter]

I acknowledged that maybe those were the wrong words and clarified the point. I didn’t even say that was 100% the reason Brannstrom got in and just alluded tot he fact there was a lot of fan uproar. I think I’ve given enough and acknowledged your points while you’ve done none of it despite providing you stats and in turn asked you to explain some of DJ’s actions. I understand the game plenty, if you can’t understand my perspectives or rather even take an effort to see it then yes not worth any of our times. Have a nice day

I was responding to your post but HFBoards sucks so it deleted it by refreshing the page. Basically; you have some wild Reddit echo chamber opinion about muh DJ hates children. When he put Norris, Stutzle and batherson on the first line for shit’s sake to start the year. Many other reasons why you’re full of shit too. Have a good day.

 

[SensHulk]

I was responding to your post but HFBoards sucks so it deleted it by refreshing the page. Basically; you have some wild Reddit echo chamber opinion about muh DJ hates children. When he put Norris, Stutzle and batherson on the first line for shit’s sake to start the year. Many other reasons why you’re full of shit too. Have a good day.

Oh hello there. Not sure how to break this to you but...I don’t really care what you think.

With that said, I *DID* have a great day

 

[JD1]

I acknowledged that maybe those were the wrong words and clarified the point. I didn’t even say that was 100% the reason Brannstrom got in and just alluded tot he fact there was a lot of fan uproar. I think I’ve given enough and acknowledged your points while you’ve done none of it despite providing you stats and in turn asked you to explain some of DJ’s actions. I understand the game plenty, if you can’t understand my perspectives or rather even take an effort to see it then yes not worth any of our times. Have a nice day

See the thing is....people can only react to what you post

Ok, so you clarified what you meant by "in spite of"

Toggle up a bit and look at what you posted. You said Brannstrom had covid and needed to recover

Maybe you can clarify what you mean by that because I've never seen anything that confirmed that Brannstrom had covid. Maybe it's me and I missed it. Perhaps you can provide a link to that cause i sure can't find one.

When perspective is based on falsehood you'll eventually find people aren't interested in understanding your perspective

 

[Golden_Jet]

Brannstrom never had Covid, he was in close contact, and had to quarantine for it, as per the rules, but never tested positive.