Kitchener Rangers 2018-19 Season Thread (Part 2)

[rangersblues]

Watched the game against Niagara and yes it was a struggle but what concerned me the most was how your TV personalities handled it. They kept saying Kitchener is a "young" team and with all this youth it was a learning curve for the young players and team. Now not sure why it bothered me but they kept throwing it out there so I decided to check - turns out Kitchener is the 8th oldest team with 12 other teams being younger than Kitchener ( from Elite Prospects). So if anything Kitchener is one of the older teams in the league. I have no bone to grind with you guys it is more of my frustration across the league on how either the TV guys don't know the facts or tend to stretch numbers to suit their needs. Yes this is every city and all broadcast teams and yes they are volunteers for the most part but I just wish they would not put misleading info out there. Again nothing to do with you guys, enjoy the posts on this thread just needed to rant somewhere and that game was my best example.

I think the broadcast teams, both TV and radio, get the majority of their talking points from the front office. It's a sales pitch to keep people interested who can't attend games and get casual fans interested.

I believe it is a myth they are a young team. They are an inexperienced team in that most have not played top line roles or been on the top pp unit. At the end of the day it doesn't matter what the talking heads say - they are what they are.

 

[Coaches Coroner]

Watched the game against Niagara and yes it was a struggle but what concerned me the most was how your TV personalities handled it. They kept saying Kitchener is a "young" team and with all this youth it was a learning curve for the young players and team. Now not sure why it bothered me but they kept throwing it out there so I decided to check - turns out Kitchener is the 8th oldest team with 12 other teams being younger than Kitchener ( from Elite Prospects). So if anything Kitchener is one of the older teams in the league. I have no bone to grind with you guys it is more of my frustration across the league on how either the TV guys don't know the facts or tend to stretch numbers to suit their needs. Yes this is every city and all broadcast teams and yes they are volunteers for the most part but I just wish they would not put misleading info out there. Again nothing to do with you guys, enjoy the posts on this thread just needed to rant somewhere and that game was my best example.

Are you including Hall who is done for the year in that assessment? Or the OA we just acquired for dirt cheap who seems like a 3rd liner (ie. age doesn't automatically = better)? For most of the season we've also been without our other OA Gentles. In terms of actual age of the team that has been iced over the course of the season, it is likely lower than the number you came up with just looking at a team roster. Maybe they are wording it wrong, but it certainly is a rebuilding year after last season, which is why the focus should be on getting experience for the younger players (last game in particular, they mentioned the youth of the team a lot because the young guys got a lot more ice time than usual over some of the older guys in the 3rd).

I'm not a fan of the tv broadcast crew, but having lived in other cities and seen other teams broadcasts, one thing I will say is they at least do their best to be objective in assessments of penalties and potential non calls...which is more than I can say for some I've seen. Still, I tend to listen to something else with the game volume on low.

 

[MatthewsMoustache]

Are you including Hall who is done for the year in that assessment? Or the OA we just acquired for dirt cheap who seems like a 3rd liner (ie. age doesn't automatically = better)? For most of the season we've also been without our other OA Gentles. In terms of actual age of the team that has been iced over the course of the season, it is likely lower than the number you came up with just looking at a team roster. Maybe they are wording it wrong, but it certainly is a rebuilding year after last season, which is why the focus should be on getting experience for the younger players (last game in particular, they mentioned the youth of the team a lot because the young guys got a lot more ice time than usual over some of the older guys in the 3rd).

I'm not a fan of the tv broadcast crew, but having lived in other cities and seen other teams broadcasts, one thing I will say is they at least do their best to be objective in assessments of penalties and potential non calls...which is more than I can say for some I've seen. Still, I tend to listen to something else with the game volume on low.

calling the new OA a 3rd liner is generous

 

[ohloutsider]

Are you including Hall who is done for the year in that assessment? Or the OA we just acquired for dirt cheap who seems like a 3rd liner (ie. age doesn't automatically = better)? For most of the season we've also been without our other OA Gentles. In terms of actual age of the team that has been iced over the course of the season, it is likely lower than the number you came up with just looking at a team roster. Maybe they are wording it wrong, but it certainly is a rebuilding year after last season, which is why the focus should be on getting experience for the younger players (last game in particular, they mentioned the youth of the team a lot because the young guys got a lot more ice time than usual over some of the older guys in the 3rd).

I'm not a fan of the tv broadcast crew, but having lived in other cities and seen other teams broadcasts, one thing I will say is they at least do their best to be objective in assessments of penalties and potential non calls...which is more than I can say for some I've seen. Still, I tend to listen to something else with the game volume on low.

I just pulled the number directly off of Elite Prospects and I know some disagree with their numbers but it is usually close. For me it is more about accurate info hitting the airways than any particular broadcast team. I was just using this instance as an example.

 

[MatthewsMoustache]

IMO, this team looks like if all goes well, 2020-21 is the year. So it's time to look towards then. The OA year that season is the 2000s. Our 00s are Damiani, Guest, MacPherson, York, Pfeil. Presumably Damiani is gone. Am I also fair to say Pfeil isn't our go to goalie in a go for it year? They don't want to use an OA spot on a backup goalie. I am comfortable with having York (assuming he's not in the AHL), MacPherson, and Guest.

Next is the 01s. This is what should be our best players on a winning team. Gordon, Tresoor, Dickerson, Petizian, Vukojevic, Xhekaj. Oh man. This is where the Rangers need to make some improvements. Not in 3 years. Now. Have these guys grow together. Trade some of the 99s, even Damiani if that's what it takes. Get a couple of solid 01s that can potentially be around for the next 2 seasons and go on a run.

And the 02s. I'm happy with this group of guys but they need to see some better and more consistent opportunities. Starting Valade on the top line for all of 2 shifts then burying him the rest of the game is useless. Langdon and Sebrango are starting to get powerplay chances. Valade has been soooo close to that first goal. A bit more luck and he could have 3 or 4 by now with some of the chances he has had.

 

[EvenSteven]

The last couple times we played Guelph, they knocked the crap out of us physically and on the scoreboard.

The last time we were in their barn, they slewfooted Gentles into more than a month on the shelf and ran Meireles dirty from behind into the glass bloodying him up.

I don't expect us to win, and I don't expect a classic dust up. But if there was ever a game to get up for and hand it back to a division rival, this is the one.

I'm making the trip to Guelph specifically expecting an entertaining, revenge type game. I hope I'm not wasting my afternoon.

 

[Coaches Coroner]

Some posters here have mentioned wanting to have scouting overhauled a few times, so I checked eliteprospects to see who they have listed as our scouts.
It looks like we added a new Goalie scout for the current season, which is good to see given our lack of goalies coming from recent drafts. Also added a new American scout (Ohio Univ. Dir. of Hockey Operations) for this season. A couple scouts have only been around a few years.
Beyond that 5 out of 11 of our scouts have been here for over a decade (some 15ish years), including our current Head Scout (this is his third season as head scout). A couple more have been here 7-8 years, including our Head Scouts son who started scouting for us 2010-11 when he was 19.
If all of this information is accurate, I'd have to agree it's time for MM to begin to look over the track records of our scouts and strongly consider making changes accordingly.

 

[bobber]

Gareffa up front this afternoon. Top line.

 

[EvenSteven]

IMO, this team looks like if all goes well, 2020-21 is the year. So it's time to look towards then. The OA year that season is the 2000s. Our 00s are Damiani, Guest, MacPherson, York, Pfeil. Presumably Damiani is gone. Am I also fair to say Pfeil isn't our go to goalie in a go for it year? They don't want to use an OA spot on a backup goalie. I am comfortable with having York (assuming he's not in the AHL), MacPherson, and Guest.

Next is the 01s. This is what should be our best players on a winning team. Gordon, Tresoor, Dickerson, Petizian, Vukojevic, Xhekaj. Oh man. This is where the Rangers need to make some improvements. Not in 3 years. Now. Have these guys grow together. Trade some of the 99s, even Damiani if that's what it takes. Get a couple of solid 01s that can potentially be around for the next 2 seasons and go on a run.

And the 02s. I'm happy with this group of guys but they need to see some better and more consistent opportunities. Starting Valade on the top line for all of 2 shifts then burying him the rest of the game is useless. Langdon and Sebrango are starting to get powerplay chances. Valade has been soooo close to that first goal. A bit more luck and he could have 3 or 4 by now with some of the chances he has had.

Nice post. In order to gear up for the 2020-21 season, the deals have to start now. Excluding the imports, we have five OA candidates for next year. Aside from Richardson, the other four should bring more in return than what the return for Kohn was.

I don't want to deal just two of these guys and keep the other two plus Richardson as our OA's next year. That makes no sense to me. They won't be here for 2020-21 so getting the most you can for them is imperative. That's happens at this trade deadline - not the next.

If that means all four go at this deadline, then so be it. We need the assets. Think about it. Kohn brought a 2nd and two 3rds. Absolute worst case scenario is we get that value for each of the four. Four 2nds and 8 thirds would go a long way towards the 2020-21 season.

Use the assets gained from dealing the four to go towards making deals like the MacPherson deal - a player who will be around for at least 2020-21. As you said, we need improvements on our 01 group and likely, additions to the 02 group by next year's deadline.

Regarding imports, we need to draft imports this summer who will be elite by the time the 2020-21 season rolls around. Also, we need to explore moving Hugg to a contender at this deadline. I understand 1st year imports can be traded now in their first year. Is there a contender out there who'd like an upgrade in that department who can send us an 01 import?

If Damiani is to be dealt at this trade deadline, then based on the fact he still has one more year eligibility, there's a good chance he could bring somebody's 02 first round pick from this past draft. That possibility has to be explored.

 

[MatthewsMoustache]

Nice post. In order to gear up for the 2020-21 season, the deals have to start now. Excluding the imports, we have five OA candidates for next year. Aside from Richardson, the other four should bring more in return than what the return for Kohn was.

I don't want to deal just two of these guys and keep the other two plus Richardson as our OA's next year. That makes no sense to me. They won't be here for 2020-21 so getting the most you can for them is imperative. That's happens at this trade deadline - not the next.

If that means all four go at this deadline, then so be it. We need the assets. Think about it. Kohn brought a 2nd and two 3rds. Absolute worst case scenario is we get that value for each of the four. Four 2nds and 8 thirds would go a long way towards the 2020-21 season.

Use the assets gained from dealing the four to go towards making deals like the MacPherson deal - a player who will be around for at least 2020-21. As you said, we need improvements on our 01 group and likely, additions to the 02 group by next year's deadline.

Regarding imports, we need to draft imports this summer who will be elite by the time the 2020-21 season rolls around. Also, we need to explore moving Hugg to a contender at this deadline. I understand 1st year imports can be traded now in their first year. Is there a contender out there who'd like an upgrade in that department who can send us an 01 import?

If Damiani is to be dealt at this trade deadline, then based on the fact he still has one more year eligibility, there's a good chance he could bring somebody's 02 first round pick from this past draft. That possibility has to be explored.

in regards to the 02s, maybe Evangelista from London. the knights need the right handed shots in their top 6 forwards and Evangelista hasn’t even played 15 games with the deep team

 

[GeoBlue]

I just pulled the number directly off of Elite Prospects and I know some disagree with their numbers but it is usually close. For me it is more about accurate info hitting the airways than any particular broadcast team. I was just using this instance as an example.

I agree with you, OHL. I think someone earlier stated correctly that instead of "young team", what they really mean is "inexperienced team".

 

[SYWTom]

I agree with you, OHL. I think someone earlier stated correctly that instead of "young team", what they really mean is "inexperienced team".

But we aren’t really, a lot of our players have much more playoff experience then the average player around the league.

I hope McKenzie sells some of the lesser expiring pieces early to make sure they go.

 

[Tim Wallach]

Petizian looks lost. He is fighting himself out there. Turning when no one is on him ... fading from danger areas to harmless areas without being forced. Panicking when he doesn't have to. It's tough to watch. His confidence is drained.

 

[rangersblues]

Petizian looks lost. He is fighting himself out there. Turning when no one is on him ... fading from danger areas to harmless areas without being forced. Panicking when he doesn't have to. It's tough to watch. His confidence is drained.

I know we're playing the greatest hits on this forum again, but the overall lack of skill on this team is appalling. Damiani, Gareffa , Miereles and .....

That's on the coaches. Most of these kids are no better than the day they showed up to training camp. And like Tim says "confidence shattered".

 

[HashingMARK]

I know we're playing the greatest hits on this forum again, but the overall lack of skill on this team is appalling. Damiani, Gareffa , Miereles and a bunch of slop.

Easy on these guys. OMG. Coaching is the issue. Rookies need coaching to develop. Little fairies don't drop from the sky and give these kids greatness. My God. Upper management and coaching in Kitchener is a big issue.

 

[K2]

Not a saviour but definitely the better goalie at this point.

Not necessarily in Guelph today

I'd like to develop our own #1 goaltender for a change instead of trading for one.

For sure though it's not easily done through the draft, here or anywhere it seems and we even bungled one (twice) in Mavric Parks. Personally, I hope we're making an effort to scout any upcoming, available Euro goalies.

 

[Tim Wallach]

I hate to harp on the country club nature of this team but where is the performance accountability for our staff? Who is asking our scouts how they missed the oodles of talent they passed over for clear plugs? Who has asked Tisi why our goaltending never improves? (Wait... he got a promotion).

Organizational standards are gone. I'm not a "fire all the bums" ranter, but when the track record over time is so painfully bad, someone somewhere has to start asking these questions of the paid staff.

 

[HashingMARK]

I hate to harp on the country club nature of this team but where is the performance accountability for our staff? Who is asking our scouts how they missed the oodles of talent they passed over for clear plugs? Who has asked Tisi why our goaltending never improves? (Wait... he got a promotion).

Organizational standards are gone. I'm not a "fire all the bums" ranter, but when the track record over time is so painfully bad, someone somewhere has to start asking these questions of the paid staff.

Hey TW: It will never be questioned because Kitchener sells a lot of tickets whether they win or lose. Kitchener fans should just start boycotting this organization until they figure it out.

 

[Tim Wallach]

Sad but true HashingMARK.

I don't know what's worse... an organization who can't figure it out or one that doesn't even seem to try to figure it out?

 

[K2]

It will never be questioned because Kitchener sells a lot of tickets whether they win or lose. Kitchener fans should just start boycotting this organization until they figure it out.

STH renewals have been steadily eroding and the 'warming house' buffer is gone. If you discount the freebies and all the STH no-shows, attendance has taken nosedive. Big wakeup call coming renewal time I predict.

 

[Tim Wallach]

It's true K2. I know of a few STH folks who lived and breathed Rangers for years and years that I figured would die in their seats who have stopped coming and said they aren't renewing.

They say apathy is the worst possible thing for a fan base and we're there.

 

[RangerNation]

 

[Rangers True Blue]

8-1 thrashing. No words.

 

[Gondrex]

I just pulled the number directly off of Elite Prospects and I know some disagree with their numbers but it is usually close. For me it is more about accurate info hitting the airways than any particular broadcast team. I was just using this instance as an example.

No apology required in my opinion OHLoutsider. I've posted similar thoughts a few weeks ago, including the "young" label given by the broadcasters. I thought they would have had it figured out by now . Good for you for looking into the numbers even deeper than I did. I wasn't patient enough. Likely better to label the team as inexperienced as some have suggested. At least it's a bit more accurate than the young handle.

I would expect trades coming, but I'd hold back on selling the farm. The team does need some veteran leadership to stick around to be the veteran presence for the players that are actually young on this team. I would personally hang on to Damiani. IMO he is arguably one of the most valuable players on the team, with at least another year of elegibilty to boot.

 

[Melrose]

With us dropping down so far in the standings , it’s imperative that we add some high level scouting as we will probably be getting a early pick for a change. And I agree with most that we stop drafting all the same type of players. The old boys club that run this show need to be taken to task.