Well, It was a successful weekend visit to Iowa. Grand Rapids leads the Central and Iowa took 3/4 pts and very well could(should) have won the second game that ended in a shootout. The atmosphere was great and you can tell that Lalonde has the guys playing together and playing the system. Far contrast to the games I went to last year where everyone seemed dis-jointed and free lancing every shift and in every zone. There were some guys who really stood out and played well for the Wild. Considering Grand Rapids has always been an AHL power house and it has seemed that the prospect pool in the Detroit organization has always produced, it was clear to see that we have something special developing. Frk, Bertuzzi and Russo were the only 3 guys who really stood out for the Griffins. Where Iowa, much like Minnesota.. had a lot of guys who were more than just role players that really looked good. I will touch on some of the guys individually and give you my thoughts.
Alex Tuch- First and foremost, he is the top prospect we have down there obviously and it clearly showed. You could tell he was playing with a chip on his shoulder after being sent back to Des Moines. Friday nights game he ended with 1g-2a, and if it wasn't for an absolute larceny he would have had 2 and 2. Goalie gloved down a wrister but his glove was deep in the net, so not sure how it was indesputable.. He played a very strong board game and looked very much the part of the best player on the ice. He does need to get more physical, though he had 4 pims.. he is still more about stick work than using his body to move people around. I really do think he will get another chance this year, and I don't think he will play the back and forth game between Iowa for very long.
Sam Anas- So much speed and skill. He is under sized but plays much bigger than he is. He is starting to really figure out the pro-style game, not sure if we will ever get the opportunity to see him play with the forward talent we have coming,but I definitely think there is a place for him in an NHL line up. Really good hockey IQ and plays with a mentality very similar to Parise.
Zack Mitchell- We have seen him play up with us a few times, but I am always really impressed with the way he plays. Had a clutch goal to send game 2 to overtime and he was always visible. Ceiling is probably close to that of Justin Fontaine.
Grayson Downing- I honestly believe that had he not been hurt last year and into camp this year, we would be seeing him up instead of Graovac. I saw a side of his game I hadn't before, he was PHYSICAL. Considering it was his second game back off of injury he was not shying away from contact, finishing checks and going to the hard areas. In the waning minutes of game 2 the Wild were killing a penalty and he drew one of his own with exceptional puck possession. It lead to the game tying goal and point for the team. I would love to see him center a line with Nino. Really good signing by the Wild in my opinion.
Christoph Bertschy- Man was he fun to watch when he was in a top 6 role. He played such a confident game, super creative. Not because he is Swiss.. but his play very much reminded me of watching Nino. He doesn't have his size but he is not afraid to work and he carries the puck well. He had a beautiful assist on Sam Anas' goal to tie it up in the third. He LOVES to shoot, would be curious to see him get a chance at that role with the Wild. (again.. hard to imagine with the talent we have coming, but great depth guy)
Mario Lucia- Starting to get the pro game. Any ND games I watched last year he was always underwhelming. He played a strong board game and has some flair when he carries the puck as well. There were times he was one of the best players on the ice, but still had lapses where you wondered if he was even on the ice. If he gets a complete game figured out, he could end up being what we thought we drafted.
Stalock looked really slow.. He was out of position a lot and I think his d made him look a lot better than he was. They were not strong in front of him by any means, but they did a good job clearing away some very juicy rebounds. He seems to get a little big of flounder to him where he is super aggressive but then gets way out of place. We all saw that diving save after the juicy rebound, I would say that is a very common fixture in his game.
Michalek however.. I was pretty impressed with. He made some very tough saves and was very positionally sound. He is still raw, but I was much more comfortable watching him play and did't feel like every shot was going to go in.
My under the radar player of the weekend.. Zach Palmquist. He was everywhere on the ice and very key in clutch situations. Had good time on the powerplay and was very key on the PK.
If anyone wants to know any more, or any other guys let me know. I can go into more detail on these guys as well, just realize my excitement took over in this post. To watch the team play the way it did and know our best prospects are still coming, gets me all sorts of giddy... and makes me feel.. things! ha