Minnesota 2020-2021 Affiliates Thread (Iowa Wild, Allen Americans)
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Lapa
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Minnewildsota
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Dee Oh Cee
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tomgilbertfan
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Minnewildsota
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Stalock.
I mean, yeah it was a good save but could have been prevented if he didn't serve the rebound on a silver platter.
StateofCelly
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Oloffson has been recalled and swapped with Mike Riley, expected to start out this homestand per Russo.
Can't wait to see him. Hopefully he is rested. I thought Reilly was decent in his time up here. Made some mistakes, but overall was above average as a bottom pair defender. If he can master the " boring" part of the defensive game then I have high hopes for him. He will always have some PMD skills.
Tuch, Berteschy, Downing, Mitchell, Reilly, Olofsson, Pulkkinen, Lucia, Ek, and Gabriel are all guys I could see getting a late callup either to play some or for the black aces or whatever they are called.
StateofCelly
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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
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
Always been curious about Michalek. Not surprised to hear about Palmquist. His Dad is a legendary hockey man, and Zach had a good run down at Mankato.
What you said about Lucia mirrors my thoughts. Just doesn't always seem to be moving out there. IMO, if he hasn't figured that part of his game out by now, he never will. Kind of a poor man's Tuch.
What you said about Lucia mirrors my thoughts. Just doesn't always seem to be moving out there. IMO, if he hasn't figured that part of his game out by now, he never will. Kind of a poor man's Tuch.
StateofCelly
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It actually reminded me 100% of how Coyle looks when he is in his slumps. Difference is when Coyle is on, he is on. Lucia just seemed like he was only on when he wanted to be.. so I don't know if he has that motivation or "IT" factor.
I was hoping to see Seeler light some people up, but he was fairly quiet. I really did like Palmquist's game though.. very confident with the puck, had a nice shot that lead to a Cannone goal on the PP as well. Reilly is obviously the most skilled defenseman down there right now, but as far as consistency goes.. Palmquist stole the show.
StateofCelly
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Gabriel was very unnoticeable. I figured for sure he would drop the gloves, but it was Downing who actually stood up for a teammate and got the mitts off. He is what he is.. a role player. It wasn't like he played bad, but it also wasn't like he was some dominant or intimidating force.
StateofCelly
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I thought Palmquist played a lot bigger than he is to be honest. He might be 6'0 but he was so smart and sound he never got out worked. Size is important, but with the way the game is progressing so much to transition and speed game, I like his maneuverability as much as anything.
gphr513
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Thanks for the updates, Celly! It's always nice to get a first hand account of Iowa.
Out of curiousity, how many people attend the games down there?
Out of curiousity, how many people attend the games down there?
StateofCelly
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They announced the weekend total right around 18,000.. Friday night they honored the fallen police officers that were murdered this summer, and Saturday was Pink In the Rink night.. so both brought in extra people for the cause. Not a full house by any means but the crowd is raucous and loves their chants. for $20 a ticket I was 3rd row on double attack side the first night, and the second night for $28 I sat against the glass behind the bench and really got perspective of the players and just the focus.. I have done it at MN games as well, but considering I felt like I was evaluating them it was cool to see the full thing. When they were on the bench before OT and all getting into that moment, the leaders were obvious.
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StateofCelly
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Tuch, Downing, Mitchell, Anas, Palmquist for the good..
Stalock for the bad.
If you are asking who stood out as a leader, Reilly and Palmquist were very vocal.. Tuch wanted to go in and kept telling Lalonde he was good to go, Mitchell just looked like he was ready to score.. and he did. Adversely.. Gabriel was joking around and tossed Palmquist a new dry set of gloves and dropped them, and Palmquist cussed him out. It was time to focus, so it was interesting to see Gabes put in his place a bit.
Today's news doesn't surprise me at all. I think the Nino/Staal/Tuch line could be unreal good. Nino tends to make everyone around him better, wanted to see Tuch with him last week... unfortunately Vane.... Staal is dead weight right now, so hopefully he gets it going.
tomgilbertfan
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