Minnesota 2023-2024 Affiliates Thread (Iowa Wild, Iowa Heartlanders)
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Wild 5-2. Beckman with ENG. McIntyre let in two on 36 SOG, and one was the result of a clumsy handoff between him, Hunt, and the AHL's answer to Brad Hunt, Ben Finkelstein. Solid game by Mac...had to have been at least 10 PP's against.
Walker with a vg game. Not just goals, but's he's good at poaching pucks.
Walker with a vg game. Not just goals, but's he's good at poaching pucks.
Iowa with a 6-3 win. Ronning with a natural HT. Beckman and Chaffee with goals, also. Walker continues to look vg- two primary assists, and is playing PP and PK. Signs of life from Beckman, too. He finished on a nice feed to the slot, just like we have been expecting him to(but he hasn't been).
To me, all that Walker needs is a bit more strength, and he'd be a guy that they could use just about anywhere in the lineup, though he'll never be a guy with a "heavy" game - maybe a pest, though. He's playing C between Chaffee and Beckman with Fogarty gone.
Hunt, ROR and SJo all look decent or better, but not eye opening. None of them get any PP TOI, which is given to Hicketts and Mermis. Hopefully that will change later on in the season.
To me, all that Walker needs is a bit more strength, and he'd be a guy that they could use just about anywhere in the lineup, though he'll never be a guy with a "heavy" game - maybe a pest, though. He's playing C between Chaffee and Beckman with Fogarty gone.
Hunt, ROR and SJo all look decent or better, but not eye opening. None of them get any PP TOI, which is given to Hicketts and Mermis. Hopefully that will change later on in the season.
For context, 3 of the 5 goals were PP, and another one a Penalty shot, in one of most bizarre calls I have ever seen. In other words, Wallstedt was fine, not perfect, but fine.
Walker with a nice SHG on a breakaway... he's fast at the AHL level. He looks good...was serving up Chaffee on the PP, who couldn't convert.
Hunt and ROR looking decent on D, with flashes of breakout ability. Wish they would get some PP TOI as opposed to some of the AHL lifers.
If i had to guess, I think Walker is getting fast tracked, as he is already fairly mature, and looks to have some talent. He is getting a lot of playing time. IMO he is outplaying Beckman, and certainly Chaffee.
Ronning is scoring like crazy. I always liked him, but don't know if he has the tools to move up. Smart player who knows where the net is, though.
1-1 midway through the 2nd. ROR out. SJo and Hunt playing. Hunt, especially, looks good. Petan is back and is clearly, along with Walker, their best offensive player.
Giroux is meh...at this point, he is showing little that would warrant him being called up. Whatever Chaffee did over the summer to prepare...he should never do again. Instead of looking stronger and faster he looks weaker and slower.
GA against was when Iowa was on the PK. They repeatedly shoot themselves in the foot in that regard, and it's not like it's guys like Baddock.
GF was by Hicketts from Walker and Petan. Petan also set up Walker nicely for a one timer, that went high. Petan's handles stick out.
Giroux is meh...at this point, he is showing little that would warrant him being called up. Whatever Chaffee did over the summer to prepare...he should never do again. Instead of looking stronger and faster he looks weaker and slower.
GA against was when Iowa was on the PK. They repeatedly shoot themselves in the foot in that regard, and it's not like it's guys like Baddock.
GF was by Hicketts from Walker and Petan. Petan also set up Walker nicely for a one timer, that went high. Petan's handles stick out.
Figures...I criticize Chaffee's play, then he goes out and scores 2g in the 3rd period. Petan is back, and had 3 a, as well as a goal in the SO, that was Kaprizovesque. Fogarty with 1g, 1a...he's a good AHL player. Walker with two assists, and a Gaudreauesque SO goal. On both SO goals, it looked like Walker and Petan were imitating Kaprizov(effortless flick) and Gaudreau(backhand deke and finish) recent SO moves. Nice to see that they are paying attention, and working on things.
Petan is exactly what the Iowa team needs. A slick puck handler who can orchestrate attacks. Doesn't seem to have been able to make a dent in the NHL... AAAA player?
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2-2 in the 2nd. Petan with two assists...one of them really slick...all Chaffee had to do was shovel the puck in from 5'.
Wild continue to take too many penalties, and it kills them. Some similarities to the big team, hmmm?
-and they take another penalty...
and another...they have 12 PIM's to MIL's 4
Tomasino looks like nothing.
- Petan with his 3 point of the night. He is vg at this level.... nice skills and vision. Small, but as a 27 yo has a bit of strength. Rossi like in terms of skill. Don't want to start a controversy, but he's just as good if not better than Rossi right now, though obviously Rossi has a better chance to improve in the future.
Iowa wins 4-3. Milne with the game winner, and his 1st AHL goal, assisted by Walker. Petan with a great game, Swaney with 6 shots.
Of our young Dmen, keeping in mind that it is very, very early i would say that Hunt looks the best. Both he and ROR have decent or better feet, tend to make safe plays, and don't make a lot of mistakes. Hunt seems to have a bit more offense to him, and might be a better skater. SJO has his charms, but needs to get quicker- if he could get stronger and use that size of his he might have a NHL job waiting for him in a couple of years.
Wild continue to take too many penalties, and it kills them. Some similarities to the big team, hmmm?
-and they take another penalty...
and another...they have 12 PIM's to MIL's 4
Tomasino looks like nothing.
- Petan with his 3 point of the night. He is vg at this level.... nice skills and vision. Small, but as a 27 yo has a bit of strength. Rossi like in terms of skill. Don't want to start a controversy, but he's just as good if not better than Rossi right now, though obviously Rossi has a better chance to improve in the future.
Iowa wins 4-3. Milne with the game winner, and his 1st AHL goal, assisted by Walker. Petan with a great game, Swaney with 6 shots.
Of our young Dmen, keeping in mind that it is very, very early i would say that Hunt looks the best. Both he and ROR have decent or better feet, tend to make safe plays, and don't make a lot of mistakes. Hunt seems to have a bit more offense to him, and might be a better skater. SJO has his charms, but needs to get quicker- if he could get stronger and use that size of his he might have a NHL job waiting for him in a couple of years.
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Wallstedt having a very good game. He has lead in one goal on 30 shots. Pétan and Walker continue to score. Swaney has one and looks good. Milne with another goal- he looks good.
Good news and bad news. The bad news is that Wallstedt let in anither goal. The good news is that he just scored one.
He let in two goals on 39 shots. Wild were on PK facing an extra attacker in the last minute, leading by two, and he just flung the puck down into the other net. Pretty epic.
Good news and bad news. The bad news is that Wallstedt let in anither goal. The good news is that he just scored one.
He let in two goals on 39 shots. Wild were on PK facing an extra attacker in the last minute, leading by two, and he just flung the puck down into the other net. Pretty epic.
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So, Army runs the #1 PP with Beckman(LH) on the left half wall, and Walker(RH) on the right half wall.
Doesn't make a lot of sense to me.
Wild get hammered, 5-1. Wallstedt lets in another bad angle goal, his 4th of the year. It's a problem.
Walker gets another point, maintaining his lead in scoring on the team. PPG pace.
Beckman continues to be hesitant in getting his shot off. He's got to fix that.
Doesn't make a lot of sense to me.
Wild get hammered, 5-1. Wallstedt lets in another bad angle goal, his 4th of the year. It's a problem.
Walker gets another point, maintaining his lead in scoring on the team. PPG pace.
Beckman continues to be hesitant in getting his shot off. He's got to fix that.
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Wild win 4-3 over SJ
Rossi with a goal, two assists. Both assists were nice, the goal was a nice wrister from distance. He looked very engaged. Army, in an interview, mentioned how Rossi has to play with more "bite". I rolled my eyes, as it's an Evason cliche, and inappropriate in Rossi's case. He is not going to be Shaw, or Duhaime- and we don't want him to be. He did have a good point about Rossi just sort of blending in, playing slow, and not making mistakes, when he should be trying to stick out (my words). Apparently Army knows Tourigny, Rossi's coach in juniors, quite well, and feels that he has a pretty good handle on his game. I do think that Walker is a pretty good match on his wing, and will convert some of his passes into goals, though he's no Matt Boldy.
We'll see. Rossi already looks far more comfortable with the physical play in the AHL now- he's not aggressive, but doesn't back off players and situations now.
Hunt with 1g, 1a. He looks good. Pisses me off that they put Ben freaking Finkelstein on the PP rather than Hunt, or SJo. Even Hicketts, who is a good AHL offensively minded Dman, but c'mon- he's got no future in the NHL.
Walker with another goal on a nice pass from Rossi. Good wrist shot. Always seems to be around the play.
Beckman can't hit the net, and squanders scoring chances. He's really off his game.
Wallstedt let in another goal from an extreme angle, and a long distance. That's at least 4 this year, from my count. It's a problem. He can't be a NHL goalie and let those in. Otherwise looks good.
Rossi with a goal, two assists. Both assists were nice, the goal was a nice wrister from distance. He looked very engaged. Army, in an interview, mentioned how Rossi has to play with more "bite". I rolled my eyes, as it's an Evason cliche, and inappropriate in Rossi's case. He is not going to be Shaw, or Duhaime- and we don't want him to be. He did have a good point about Rossi just sort of blending in, playing slow, and not making mistakes, when he should be trying to stick out (my words). Apparently Army knows Tourigny, Rossi's coach in juniors, quite well, and feels that he has a pretty good handle on his game. I do think that Walker is a pretty good match on his wing, and will convert some of his passes into goals, though he's no Matt Boldy.
We'll see. Rossi already looks far more comfortable with the physical play in the AHL now- he's not aggressive, but doesn't back off players and situations now.
Hunt with 1g, 1a. He looks good. Pisses me off that they put Ben freaking Finkelstein on the PP rather than Hunt, or SJo. Even Hicketts, who is a good AHL offensively minded Dman, but c'mon- he's got no future in the NHL.
Walker with another goal on a nice pass from Rossi. Good wrist shot. Always seems to be around the play.
Beckman can't hit the net, and squanders scoring chances. He's really off his game.
Wallstedt let in another goal from an extreme angle, and a long distance. That's at least 4 this year, from my count. It's a problem. He can't be a NHL goalie and let those in. Otherwise looks good.
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Iowa avenges yesterday's awful loss to CHI with a 7-0 win. Army must've chewed them out good.
- Walker with a 1st period Gordie Howe HT. First ever pro fight against Jamison Rees. Both lightweights, but Sammy destroyed him. Hit him with a lot of rights, knocking off Ree's helmet, then with the takedown after a wild Rees blow. Rees probably shouldn't fight. Walker 1g, 2a, and had a great game.
- McIntyre with the SO. As of now, he is the best goalie in Iowa, folks.
- Beckman with 2g, 1A.
- all the rookie Dmen had a point. ROR seems like he's still figuring things out, but in general, I like the way he plays defense. Covers the guy in front well, has a decent pass, and is a good skater.
- Mermis 3 hits.
- Milne with a nice goal. They have him playing with Rossi and Walker to provide some grit and speed, and it's looking pretty good. He got the goal on a 2 on 1 with Walker, used him as a decoy, and buried the shot. Good, decisive goal.
- Rossi with no points, but he had a good(not great) game. Was the "3rd assist" on a couple of goals. He had three minors, also. One coincidental with Ponomarev, who took a shot at him, then Rossi responded with a slash. He also had a GI penalty because he moved right in traffic and tried to get the puck loose. Both those things are good to see, as he needs to be aggressive both looking for chances and taking care of himself.
- ROR was given an unprovoked, nasty, blind headshot by Ponomarev with less than 2 minutes left. SJO, of all people jumped on top of Ponomarev. They both got kicked out of the game with CHI getting an extra two, but IMO Ponomarev should've gotten a major as well. Good to see SJo respond like that. Hope ROR isn't concussed...it was a classic left cross hit with the elbow to ROR's chin, and you could see his head snap from right to left on his neck.
- Walker with a 1st period Gordie Howe HT. First ever pro fight against Jamison Rees. Both lightweights, but Sammy destroyed him. Hit him with a lot of rights, knocking off Ree's helmet, then with the takedown after a wild Rees blow. Rees probably shouldn't fight. Walker 1g, 2a, and had a great game.
- McIntyre with the SO. As of now, he is the best goalie in Iowa, folks.
- Beckman with 2g, 1A.
- all the rookie Dmen had a point. ROR seems like he's still figuring things out, but in general, I like the way he plays defense. Covers the guy in front well, has a decent pass, and is a good skater.
- Mermis 3 hits.
- Milne with a nice goal. They have him playing with Rossi and Walker to provide some grit and speed, and it's looking pretty good. He got the goal on a 2 on 1 with Walker, used him as a decoy, and buried the shot. Good, decisive goal.
- Rossi with no points, but he had a good(not great) game. Was the "3rd assist" on a couple of goals. He had three minors, also. One coincidental with Ponomarev, who took a shot at him, then Rossi responded with a slash. He also had a GI penalty because he moved right in traffic and tried to get the puck loose. Both those things are good to see, as he needs to be aggressive both looking for chances and taking care of himself.
- ROR was given an unprovoked, nasty, blind headshot by Ponomarev with less than 2 minutes left. SJO, of all people jumped on top of Ponomarev. They both got kicked out of the game with CHI getting an extra two, but IMO Ponomarev should've gotten a major as well. Good to see SJo respond like that. Hope ROR isn't concussed...it was a classic left cross hit with the elbow to ROR's chin, and you could see his head snap from right to left on his neck.
I've been wondering how Milne is doing. I really liked his motor in the preseason. He seems like he could turn into another Shaw/Dewar energy type of 4th liner.
Improving game by game. I think he's a bit bigger than Dewar and Shaw, and pretty thickly built. Pretty fast, too.
Just realized that Hentges and Chaffee are afterthoughts due to injuries.
FWiW, he's listed as 5'11" 185lbs on the Iowa website, so dunno. I don't recall seeing them on the ice together to make a comparison.
I think afterthoughts is an apt description for the Iowa FWD group as a whole. The highest picks on the team are a couple of mid/late 3rd rounders (not counting Rossi).
Milne is definitely bigger and thicker. He looks thicker than Walker, but about the same height. Sammy is a Whippet, Milne more of a Bulldog. Was kind of surprised to see Walker destroy Rees, who comes from the CHL. AFAIK it's Walker's first fight- college boy- though he has always had an edge to him. Funny enough, Shaw beat up Rees last year... i think he thought he'd pick on the "little guy". Big mistake.
I see Walker being sort of a Jason Zucker type. Zucker was probably more talented, but Walker can play C, and is RH. Zucker was maybe a bit faster, but not by much...Walker has wheels also, and might have a better all round game. Walker leads all AHL rookies in points, but is older, at 23yo. Over half of his points are on the PP, which is not good, or bad, but suggests that he should be in more of an offensive role, even though they have him PK'ing, too. Really, I think the Wild are trying to figure out how he fits in... I think they thought Walker would have more of a Swaney trajectory, rather than be leading the team in points 20 + games in.
I think Milne can be like a bigger(2") Shaw. I like his intensity, and I think he's faster than Shaw. He doesn't have the more cerebral, positional game of Dewar. Smart, but a bit of a mad dog. We'll see if he keeps it up.
At a certain point I don't worry about what round a player is from. Kaprizov is a 5th rounder. Zuccarello wasn't drafted, Spurgeon was a 6th rounder that wasn't even offered a contract. Jost and Steel were 1st rounders.
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I agree with the round doesn't matter after their draft. I don't get excited about many unless I see things that stand out in their game. I mostly judge them on if they are too good (or have learned all they can) for their current league and compare/rank them to their teammates.
I didn't renew the AHL package because the Iowa team didn't have anything interesting to me except ROR and Wallstedt going into the season. Hunt, Milne, and Walker have piqued my interest some since the season started. So I'll probably go catch a game or two in Rockford, MKE or CHI at some point this year.
Glad to see SJo has been put on the PP.
PP#1- Hicketts, Walker, Rossi, Beckman, Fogarty
PP#2 - Mermis, SJo, Ronning, Giroux, O'Leary
Swaney isn't playing. Don't know if he is injured, or a healthy scratch. If it's the latter, it's too bad. I thought he looked good starting out this season, but hasn't been able to produce. He's sort of one of those guys who isn't big or strong enough to be a grinder, so if he sin't scoring you have to wonder where he fits. Nice speed, though.
Hard to have success when you are taking 5 penalties for every one of the other teams.
Iowa beaten 6-2 by GR, even thought they outshot them 42-37. They had 10 minors...that's ridiculous. Goals by Mermis and Walker (assisted by ROR and S Jo). Beckman with a momentum killing penalty just as they were starting a PP.... I am beginning to wonder about his hockey IQ, as well as his shot release.
Rossi looks good, but he has to keep challenging himself to be better. Makes good decisions on the ice, and handles the puck well. Still not the fastest, or strongest, but is getting better.
PP#1- Hicketts, Walker, Rossi, Beckman, Fogarty
PP#2 - Mermis, SJo, Ronning, Giroux, O'Leary
Swaney isn't playing. Don't know if he is injured, or a healthy scratch. If it's the latter, it's too bad. I thought he looked good starting out this season, but hasn't been able to produce. He's sort of one of those guys who isn't big or strong enough to be a grinder, so if he sin't scoring you have to wonder where he fits. Nice speed, though.
Hard to have success when you are taking 5 penalties for every one of the other teams.
Iowa beaten 6-2 by GR, even thought they outshot them 42-37. They had 10 minors...that's ridiculous. Goals by Mermis and Walker (assisted by ROR and S Jo). Beckman with a momentum killing penalty just as they were starting a PP.... I am beginning to wonder about his hockey IQ, as well as his shot release.
Rossi looks good, but he has to keep challenging himself to be better. Makes good decisions on the ice, and handles the puck well. Still not the fastest, or strongest, but is getting better.
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Iowa wins 3-2 over Rockford in a SO. Rossi with one assist on the PP. Failed in his SO attempt. Beckman and Fogarty (beautiful deke)with the goals. Wallstedt stopped 3 of 4 in the SO, and 37 of 39 SA. He was great.
Rossi? Ehh...some good, some not so good. He's looking more and more like young Granlund, to me. There are a lot of players missing or injured. Cramarossa, Petan, Walker, Chaffee, Hentges, Kaspic...I'm probably missing a couple more. They are a tough watch right now, as are the parent team.
Rossi? Ehh...some good, some not so good. He's looking more and more like young Granlund, to me. There are a lot of players missing or injured. Cramarossa, Petan, Walker, Chaffee, Hentges, Kaspic...I'm probably missing a couple more. They are a tough watch right now, as are the parent team.
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Pretty ugly 7-4 loss against Rockford. Again, loads of penalties. Petan alone had 6 Minutes in the 1st period.
Wallstedt pulled after 5g/19 shots, but he didn't have a lot of support. One was a standard PPG, another a 4 on 3, or really a 4 on 2 1/2 as Fogarty's stick broke. On other goals the Dmen failed to cover right in front of the net. The D breakdowns were mostly by veteran Dmen...guess that's why they are in the AHL.
Rossi with a nice goal off the rush, a really nice assist on Beckman's PPG, and another, more garden variety, PP assist.
Beckman one PP snipe.
Hunt one assist, though of the incidental variety.
It's amazing how much more confident Petan is down in the AHL.
It's no wonder we lead the league in PIM. Iowa is almost as bad.
Wallstedt pulled after 5g/19 shots, but he didn't have a lot of support. One was a standard PPG, another a 4 on 3, or really a 4 on 2 1/2 as Fogarty's stick broke. On other goals the Dmen failed to cover right in front of the net. The D breakdowns were mostly by veteran Dmen...guess that's why they are in the AHL.
Rossi with a nice goal off the rush, a really nice assist on Beckman's PPG, and another, more garden variety, PP assist.
Beckman one PP snipe.
Hunt one assist, though of the incidental variety.
It's amazing how much more confident Petan is down in the AHL.
It's no wonder we lead the league in PIM. Iowa is almost as bad.
Texas at Iowa is free tonight. You might have to sign up, but don't have to actually subscribe. I believe it is recorded, and you can watch it afterwards, or skip though it during the period breaks of the NHL game. Just go to AHLTV
So has Iowa given the "C" to anyone new now that Shaw has locked up a NHL roster spot; or are they just going to run 3 "A" with Fogerty, Hicketts, and Mermis all season?
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