GDT: Minnesota Wild vs. Minnesota Wild, Jan 16th 2013 @ 7pm on FSN/KFAN
- Thread starter Jarick
- Start date
Puhis
Nah.
He's on AHL contract I believe. I don't think he'll play with the Wild, seeing as we're already maxed out on contracts.
Generic User
How's your burger?
Eh. He turned his team's water cooler into wine a few times. Figure that's why passes were off and skaters were falling all over the ice.
MMANumminen
Registered User
It is survival of the fittest. You should've put the shirt on and show the brat your biceps
Wow, what a night at the rink--electric in the stands, nice to have the game back !
I was very interested to see how our young guys fit in. Recognizing the fact that nerves/anxiety would play a part and obviuosly for the most part they will get limited time because of the fact this week is all about getting the NHL group ready !
What I found is the some of the critiques of our young guys really isnt justified. Granlund IS strong enough and quick enough to have a solid career, Dumbas skating is OK(as per Yeo)--if you listen to some stuff hear youd think he skated in quicksand, LOL( he looked great !), Phillips skating a NON factor could easily keep pace and was solid in both ends(as per Torchetti, who has been singing his praises), Larrson can create offence and is NOT just a shutdown guy, Coyle CAN be physical and projects nicely as a top 9 guy--he is so unspectacular just steady always in position, Bulmer--although didnt show it tonight, will provide a big body physical prescence upfront in time and his skill level is underrated, IMO. The above guys all looked to me as guys that at some point will have NHL careers, some sooner than others and thats to be expected--1/2 year of pro hockey Im excited about the potential !
Zucker, to me, is ready. I think the 6 game tryout last year was a huge benefit to him. While some others were a bit tentative at times, he played with an air of confidence and looked great !
Fletcher and the entire scouting staff deserve alot of credit for the past few drafts.
I was very interested to see how our young guys fit in. Recognizing the fact that nerves/anxiety would play a part and obviuosly for the most part they will get limited time because of the fact this week is all about getting the NHL group ready !
What I found is the some of the critiques of our young guys really isnt justified. Granlund IS strong enough and quick enough to have a solid career, Dumbas skating is OK(as per Yeo)--if you listen to some stuff hear youd think he skated in quicksand, LOL( he looked great !), Phillips skating a NON factor could easily keep pace and was solid in both ends(as per Torchetti, who has been singing his praises), Larrson can create offence and is NOT just a shutdown guy, Coyle CAN be physical and projects nicely as a top 9 guy--he is so unspectacular just steady always in position, Bulmer--although didnt show it tonight, will provide a big body physical prescence upfront in time and his skill level is underrated, IMO. The above guys all looked to me as guys that at some point will have NHL careers, some sooner than others and thats to be expected--1/2 year of pro hockey Im excited about the potential !
Zucker, to me, is ready. I think the 6 game tryout last year was a huge benefit to him. While some others were a bit tentative at times, he played with an air of confidence and looked great !
Fletcher and the entire scouting staff deserve alot of credit for the past few drafts.
this providence
Chips in Bed Theorem
Quick thoughts
Spurgeon - Best player on the ice. Granted, team did stray away from a lot of the more physical stuff and that obviously favors him. However, he's very quiet with the puck and looks to be playing at a higher and more comfortable level than anyone else out there.
Parise - Speed, determination, and aggressiveness define his game and we even seen it in the scrimmage. Thrilled to have this guy here.
Dumba - At the very least, he didn't look out of place in this environment and based on what I seen from him at Dev. Camp, he looks like a different player. Much more calmer with his feet in not making an extra crossover getting him into trouble and he played a simple and effective game in terms of making decisions with the puck. I was expecting him to struggle based on some of the reports of him in CHL but he did anything but that.
Zucker - He probably should be on this team right now. He would be with any kind of open competition. I think this team has a good one with this guy, granted I've been saying that for a while now...
Bouchard - IF he can stay healthy this season, the team's chances at making a run are drastically changed. Great possession guy and adds a lot to this line-up.
2nd/3rd line - I think I may like the 3rd line's, as currently contructed, play and game more than I do the 2nd at this stage...
That's it for now, comment on others as I can.
Spurgeon - Best player on the ice. Granted, team did stray away from a lot of the more physical stuff and that obviously favors him. However, he's very quiet with the puck and looks to be playing at a higher and more comfortable level than anyone else out there.
Parise - Speed, determination, and aggressiveness define his game and we even seen it in the scrimmage. Thrilled to have this guy here.
Dumba - At the very least, he didn't look out of place in this environment and based on what I seen from him at Dev. Camp, he looks like a different player. Much more calmer with his feet in not making an extra crossover getting him into trouble and he played a simple and effective game in terms of making decisions with the puck. I was expecting him to struggle based on some of the reports of him in CHL but he did anything but that.
Zucker - He probably should be on this team right now. He would be with any kind of open competition. I think this team has a good one with this guy, granted I've been saying that for a while now...
Bouchard - IF he can stay healthy this season, the team's chances at making a run are drastically changed. Great possession guy and adds a lot to this line-up.
2nd/3rd line - I think I may like the 3rd line's, as currently contructed, play and game more than I do the 2nd at this stage...
That's it for now, comment on others as I can.
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He is Vern from Stand By Me.
Every time Gorg comes on tv, anyone else in the room is bound to get annoyed by me talking about bringing a comb.
Jarick
Doing Nothing
That was a fun scrimmage. Good for the Wild to do this for the fans. Granted they have been doing it for a few years but still it was great and maybe they should try and do a night scrimmage each year. Or at the very least, a "fan" preseason game with $5 tickets or something.
Nice dinner at DeGidio's. In and out in 20 minutes. Good food and quick service. Just what you want before the game. Gotta support the businesses that hurt from the lockout.
Snagged club level side seats, near the red attack twice end. So I got to see the red players a lot more than white. Again, not bad for free.
Girlfriend took off to get some shirts for about 45 minutes. Women are weird. You get the chance to watch a Wild vs Wild scrimmage for free but you want to go shopping? Okay.
Kid loved it though. Last time I took him to a game, he didn't get the concept of clapping. This time he did. He loves Nordy too. I hated the concept when he was invented, but now I know the beauty of a mascot: he distracts your kids so you can watch the hockey game for a minute in peace.
Random thoughts.
WARNING: a lot of my thoughts are clouded by my previous judgment of the players so usually I only notice if someone reinforces them or clearly jumps out one way or another. I'm not a good visual scout of talent at all. Also I had a 3-year-old, some beer, and mini donuts distracting me.
Parise - Koivu - Heatley
Forgot how pumped I was for the Parise signing. This line is so fun to watch. Just tenacious on the puck and can hold it for an entire shift in the offensive zone and the PP. Granted they didn't score, but they were really close. Koivu looks like always, a solid #1 center. Parise is fast and LOVES to go in the corners and around the net. Good shot too. Heatley was surprising, he had some straight up SPEED coming up the ice and soft hands. He looks SO much better than he did last year. Russo said that he put on some muscle and came into camp in shape. If so, look out. I think he gets 25 goals in 48 games this year. He might get more.
Cullen - Granlund - Setoguchi
Not as impressed. Most of the guys were kind of invisible. Actually Cullen looked pretty good out there, getting a little bit of space and had some nice shots. Granlund looked excellent in his spot on the PP on the half wall. Didn't notice Seto much. Seemed like Granlund was less effective when the defenders were playing him tight. Might be an adjustment from the speed/gap of the AHL defenders?
Bouchard - Brodziak - Clutterbuck
Liked this line a lot. Like others are saying, Butch looks fantastic. One of the best players out there. I mean any time and space and he is a wizard with the puck. Looked phenomenal on the PP point. Why? Time and space. Yes he passed up at least one opportunity to shoot, but he made some great passes that could have been one-time goals if they weren't slightly off. And let's be honest, only 10% or so of shots go in and that doesn't count the ones that miss. Brodziak looked EXCELLENT. Just like always, working hard along the boards, keeping pucks in, playing physical, driving the net. If he had softer hands he'd be a great #2 center, honestly. Clutterbuck was flying around out there, didn't see much offense from him during the game, but as I've seen before, he probably has the best/hardest shot of anyone in warmups.
Coyle - Larsson - Zucker
A little disappointed. I don't think anyone played bad per se, and Zucker was fast and effective when he the D gave him a bit of room, but they seemed more like a disruptive checking line than a scoring line. Not too worried as all three are rookies though. Coyle is obviously big and strong and I did see him using straight up arm/core strength to wrestle a puck away from someone. Larsson seemed to have good positioning, not a lot else that I saw. All three could use more time in Houston, although Zucker looked close.
Veilleux - Dowell - Palmieri
The big thing with Veilleux and Dowell are that they are clearly NHL vets. The difference between them and say McMillan and McIntyre is that they were getting to the puck in time to hit the puck carrier or pressure them rather than kind of floating around. Anyways, neither were flashy but both did their jobs and could handle fourth line minutes just fine. Palmieri was very surprising to me. He was a LOT faster than I recall and this time had some purpose to his game. Also has a great shot and made some scoring chances. Definitely deserves to be on the starting fourth line and might even have a bit of third line scoring upside (like a Clutterbuck).
Mitchell - Konopka - Powe
McMillan - McIntyre - Kassian
Bulmer - Phililps - Rau
Really didn't see much of these guys or have anything stand out.
Suter - Spurgeon
Oh man, Suter. Honestly I didn't know much of his game before we signed him, thought he was maybe a stay at home guy to Shea Weber, maybe like a little better Nick Schultz. Wrong. This guy can skate, has soft hands, can move the puck, and can shoot. Basically he's a #1 defenseman. Looked pretty calm and composed out there, few mistakes, got involved in the offense, and more than capable at the PP point. Can't wait to see him play NHL games. Spurgeon was as advertised, speedy, mobile, good with the puck, fumbled it JUST A BIT at the PP point, and had a wicked shot for a goal (I left just before OT). I still think he could cut that stick down a hair and be even more effective with the puck, but maybe that's just me. We're the same height and his stick is as tall as I am in shoes yet mine is cut below my lip.
Stoner - Gilbert
With Gilbert leaving early, didn't see too much of him. Stoner looked good. Hands were a little better than I remembered. He's like a Keith Carney with a little better hands and under the age of 40.
Dumba - Genoway
Dumba. Looked so much better than expected. His skating doesn't seem to be an issue at all. If anything, he's unsure of where he should be so he is constantly looking around making sure he's not about to be burned. But lateral/backwards skating looked just fine. Can't recall if he had any straight up speedy 1-on-1's to defend though. Great shooting and had some awesome one-timers. His passes were a little off but not bad, I'm sure it's a big adjustment to anticipating where NHL's are vs juniors. He looks like he would be able to hang in the NHL now but still could use some development time to really come out of his shell. Genoway was more aggressive than Dumba, obviously a little smaller (actually made Dumba look bigger than I expected), but I was always watching Dumba when he was on the ice.
Prosser - Falk
Didn't watch them much.
Mara - Fredheim
Mara looked like an NHL defender. I would not mind him as a 6/7 guy at all. Fredheim I just kept thinking "who the hell is that? oh yeah, Fredheim." Didn't watch him play.
Kampfer - Medvec
Medvec is big but I think I saw him get burned a few times. Not an NHL defenseman. Kampfer looks like a forward trying to play D. He's aggressive and has good puck skills when he's going up ice or in the offensive zone but seems to run around and not have good position in his end.
Backstrom & Harding
Didn't really watch them much. Backstrom had some nice stops considering the talent he faced. Harding had some sick glove saves. Pretty much on all the goals my kid was distracting me so I missed what was going on.
Nice dinner at DeGidio's. In and out in 20 minutes. Good food and quick service. Just what you want before the game. Gotta support the businesses that hurt from the lockout.
Snagged club level side seats, near the red attack twice end. So I got to see the red players a lot more than white. Again, not bad for free.
Girlfriend took off to get some shirts for about 45 minutes. Women are weird. You get the chance to watch a Wild vs Wild scrimmage for free but you want to go shopping? Okay.
Kid loved it though. Last time I took him to a game, he didn't get the concept of clapping. This time he did. He loves Nordy too. I hated the concept when he was invented, but now I know the beauty of a mascot: he distracts your kids so you can watch the hockey game for a minute in peace.
Random thoughts.
WARNING: a lot of my thoughts are clouded by my previous judgment of the players so usually I only notice if someone reinforces them or clearly jumps out one way or another. I'm not a good visual scout of talent at all. Also I had a 3-year-old, some beer, and mini donuts distracting me.
Parise - Koivu - Heatley
Forgot how pumped I was for the Parise signing. This line is so fun to watch. Just tenacious on the puck and can hold it for an entire shift in the offensive zone and the PP. Granted they didn't score, but they were really close. Koivu looks like always, a solid #1 center. Parise is fast and LOVES to go in the corners and around the net. Good shot too. Heatley was surprising, he had some straight up SPEED coming up the ice and soft hands. He looks SO much better than he did last year. Russo said that he put on some muscle and came into camp in shape. If so, look out. I think he gets 25 goals in 48 games this year. He might get more.
Cullen - Granlund - Setoguchi
Not as impressed. Most of the guys were kind of invisible. Actually Cullen looked pretty good out there, getting a little bit of space and had some nice shots. Granlund looked excellent in his spot on the PP on the half wall. Didn't notice Seto much. Seemed like Granlund was less effective when the defenders were playing him tight. Might be an adjustment from the speed/gap of the AHL defenders?
Bouchard - Brodziak - Clutterbuck
Liked this line a lot. Like others are saying, Butch looks fantastic. One of the best players out there. I mean any time and space and he is a wizard with the puck. Looked phenomenal on the PP point. Why? Time and space. Yes he passed up at least one opportunity to shoot, but he made some great passes that could have been one-time goals if they weren't slightly off. And let's be honest, only 10% or so of shots go in and that doesn't count the ones that miss. Brodziak looked EXCELLENT. Just like always, working hard along the boards, keeping pucks in, playing physical, driving the net. If he had softer hands he'd be a great #2 center, honestly. Clutterbuck was flying around out there, didn't see much offense from him during the game, but as I've seen before, he probably has the best/hardest shot of anyone in warmups.
Coyle - Larsson - Zucker
A little disappointed. I don't think anyone played bad per se, and Zucker was fast and effective when he the D gave him a bit of room, but they seemed more like a disruptive checking line than a scoring line. Not too worried as all three are rookies though. Coyle is obviously big and strong and I did see him using straight up arm/core strength to wrestle a puck away from someone. Larsson seemed to have good positioning, not a lot else that I saw. All three could use more time in Houston, although Zucker looked close.
Veilleux - Dowell - Palmieri
The big thing with Veilleux and Dowell are that they are clearly NHL vets. The difference between them and say McMillan and McIntyre is that they were getting to the puck in time to hit the puck carrier or pressure them rather than kind of floating around. Anyways, neither were flashy but both did their jobs and could handle fourth line minutes just fine. Palmieri was very surprising to me. He was a LOT faster than I recall and this time had some purpose to his game. Also has a great shot and made some scoring chances. Definitely deserves to be on the starting fourth line and might even have a bit of third line scoring upside (like a Clutterbuck).
Mitchell - Konopka - Powe
McMillan - McIntyre - Kassian
Bulmer - Phililps - Rau
Really didn't see much of these guys or have anything stand out.
Suter - Spurgeon
Oh man, Suter. Honestly I didn't know much of his game before we signed him, thought he was maybe a stay at home guy to Shea Weber, maybe like a little better Nick Schultz. Wrong. This guy can skate, has soft hands, can move the puck, and can shoot. Basically he's a #1 defenseman. Looked pretty calm and composed out there, few mistakes, got involved in the offense, and more than capable at the PP point. Can't wait to see him play NHL games. Spurgeon was as advertised, speedy, mobile, good with the puck, fumbled it JUST A BIT at the PP point, and had a wicked shot for a goal (I left just before OT). I still think he could cut that stick down a hair and be even more effective with the puck, but maybe that's just me. We're the same height and his stick is as tall as I am in shoes yet mine is cut below my lip.
Stoner - Gilbert
With Gilbert leaving early, didn't see too much of him. Stoner looked good. Hands were a little better than I remembered. He's like a Keith Carney with a little better hands and under the age of 40.
Dumba - Genoway
Dumba. Looked so much better than expected. His skating doesn't seem to be an issue at all. If anything, he's unsure of where he should be so he is constantly looking around making sure he's not about to be burned. But lateral/backwards skating looked just fine. Can't recall if he had any straight up speedy 1-on-1's to defend though. Great shooting and had some awesome one-timers. His passes were a little off but not bad, I'm sure it's a big adjustment to anticipating where NHL's are vs juniors. He looks like he would be able to hang in the NHL now but still could use some development time to really come out of his shell. Genoway was more aggressive than Dumba, obviously a little smaller (actually made Dumba look bigger than I expected), but I was always watching Dumba when he was on the ice.
Prosser - Falk
Didn't watch them much.
Mara - Fredheim
Mara looked like an NHL defender. I would not mind him as a 6/7 guy at all. Fredheim I just kept thinking "who the hell is that? oh yeah, Fredheim." Didn't watch him play.
Kampfer - Medvec
Medvec is big but I think I saw him get burned a few times. Not an NHL defenseman. Kampfer looks like a forward trying to play D. He's aggressive and has good puck skills when he's going up ice or in the offensive zone but seems to run around and not have good position in his end.
Backstrom & Harding
Didn't really watch them much. Backstrom had some nice stops considering the talent he faced. Harding had some sick glove saves. Pretty much on all the goals my kid was distracting me so I missed what was going on.
Hall of Faber
Registered User
If I remember correctly, he beat Mikko on the opening draw. Listened on the radio but I'm pretty sure. Other than that I can't recall.
this providence
Chips in Bed Theorem
I wasn't really paying attention to most of his draws but I know he won two for certain. As I watched him just pick them right off the official's hand with the blade of stick flat. Koivu was less than thrilled... Heh.
I don't know if this should be in a different thread but about waivers, does anyone else think it's a better idea to throw Dowell on waivers (over Palmieri) because he has less of a chance of being claimed? If they both played a similar game, I don't think it's worth risking losing the younger/higher upside Palmieri on waivers. And at this stage, it's probably too late to explore trades, unfortunately.
Bookman
Registered User
Since when is Dumba's skating a concern?
He was heralded as a great skater leading up to the draft last year.
Granlund won most of his faceoffs for the might, even beating the older Finn a few times.
The opening faceoff was actually taken by Cullen, not Granlund.
Generic User
How's your burger?
Jarick
Doing Nothing
Rabid Canada fans analyzing Dumba's game at the WJC camp ripped his skating and decision making. Considering few people commented on Dumba aside from that this year, those were the impressions we all had.
Wildfish
Registered User
Ref Dumba - Cam Barker comparison - there is none. Dumba is an excellent skater and clearly has great offensive instincts. Barker isn't and doesn't. I'm really scratching my head at people questioning Dumb'as skating... Even on youtube video's you can easily see his quickness/acceleration and speed. Dumba a pylon? The kid's all over the place, the exact opposite of a pylon, he's a runaway train...
Maybe it was a StarCraft reference, where pylons are vital to team growth and success.
this providence
Chips in Bed Theorem
I guess I wouldn't be taking skating opinions from someone who doesn't have the firsthand knowledge to know what they're looking for in the first place.
In Dev Camp Dumba was too high and choppy; wasted too much motion moving laterally for my liking. He's since cleaned that up a bit by the looks of it based on what I seen last night. That was and should be the only really concern about his skating ability. Everything else is somewhere between above average and elite.
In Dev Camp Dumba was too high and choppy; wasted too much motion moving laterally for my liking. He's since cleaned that up a bit by the looks of it based on what I seen last night. That was and should be the only really concern about his skating ability. Everything else is somewhere between above average and elite.
