Mississauga Steelheads 2020 Offseason Thread

[EON]

Final 2019-20 Season Thread: Mississauga Steelheads 2019-20 Season Thread

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[Tarantula]

Hope all the fellow fans and posters here are ok and doing well. Has been a struggle getting supplies in the GTA, hopefully everyone has enough of what they need, including income, and of course most importantly, health.

Hopefully the dark cloud passes and we can enjoy Steelheads hockey and normal life soon. Next couple of weeks will be critical and may indicate just where this might go moving forward.

Condolences to the Ham family, Liam's father passed after a battle with cancer.

Hope everyone has a lifeline in case of the big Q. If you do not, and you are Q'ued and need supplies, post here or PM me. I can't promise I can help, and there is no room in my car for a passenger due to my job, but I recognize some posters and will do what I can if needed. Hopefully, if I get Q'ued, others will also help. Hopefully us Steelheads fans are all back at the rink next fall.

 

[HockeyPops]

Still need people for:

Barrie Colts
Flint Firebirds
Hamilton Bulldogs
Guelph Storm
Mississauga Steelheads
Windsor Spitfires

If anyone is interested in participating in a mock draft as mississauga, go to the mock draft thread and let hockeynorth know.

 

[Tarantula]

Is Ole Holm likely to return next year? Wondering if they will looking to draft one or two imports.

If Fantilli gets selected, and doesn't play in the OHL his year, can he still be declared defective and have his rights traded for the extra comp pick? I am guessing for the comp pick to kick in he would have to play this year, but not sure how it works in this instance.

 

[three dog night]

Is Ole Holm likely to return next year? Wondering if they will looking to draft one or two imports.

If Fantilli gets selected, and doesn't play in the OHL his year, can he still be declared defective and have his rights traded for the extra comp pick? I am guessing for the comp pick to kick in he would have to play this year, but not sure how it works in this instance.

I believe he can expect Niagara

 

[Tarantula]

I am referring to Fantilli more as a example of the question I am posing, maybe next year it is someone else. I think I grasp the defect rule if the player is traded to another OHL team and plays, but not sure how it works if the said player goes to a US program instead. The last time that happened that I know of was the Hughes choice, but it was the second year in a row that a first rounder didn't report to the Trout so no pick would have been given no matter what happened after.

BTW, hope you're feeling well. Take care!

 

[hauler]

What is Missy really in need of next year that is available in tomorrows draft? Scoring FWD? Mobile D? Goalie of the future? Lets hear it

 

[dirty12]

To get compensation for a defect, the team can trade his rights by September or relinquish those rights making him eligible for next year’s draft

 

[Tarantula]

To get compensation for a defect, the team can trade his rights by September or relinquish those rights making him eligible for next year’s draft

Thanks, was not sure if a player actually had to report to a team for that to apply.

 

[Tarantula]

Sauga does not take a defender until round 7, and no goaltender chosen yet. Is JR thinking Edmonds and Harley may be back? Makes the summer trade window interesting. If Edmonds won't be a OA tender then the Trout will have to make a deal for a solid starter and deal off some assets. I think they will keep Edmonds as a OA and keep Ranger as a BUG.

A little surprised they did not deal off their extra 2nd round pick for a future 2nd and a bonus pick in a later round. It seems like they will be in a position to go for it this year, especially if Harley returns. The choices made this year will not be available to trade come the TDL if they are in a good position in the standings at that time. I was expecting some kind of deal, but perhaps it just was not in the cards.

 

[SeaOfBlue]

Sauga does not take a defender until round 7, and no goaltender chosen yet. Is JR thinking Edmonds and Harley may be back? Makes the summer trade window interesting. If Edmonds won't be a OA tender then the Trout will have to make a deal for a solid starter and deal off some assets. I think they will keep Edmonds as a OA and keep Ranger as a BUG.

A little surprised they did not deal off their extra 2nd round pick for a future 2nd and a bonus pick in a later round. It seems like they will be in a position to go for it this year, especially if Harley returns. The choices made this year will not be available to trade come the TDL if they are in a good position in the standings at that time. I was expecting some kind of deal, but perhaps it just was not in the cards.

I am mostly surprised with how heavy they went on RW's at the top in one draft. 3/4 of their top picks were RW's, and their 4th was a center who will likely play at RW if he can not stick at C. All three could stick if they are good enough and they make room (i.e. move Hardie back to LW, trade Collins or move him to LW, move one of them to LW, etc.), but it's definitely not weak there anymore. They also still have Stubbs, Bowers and 2019 3rd round pick Josh Reid as RW options, but none of them are overly impressive at this point. They ended up drafting some defense late, and I think Wyatt Adkins could end up being a steal in the 12th round, but I expect they draft another one in the U18 draft along with a goalie and a LW for some added depth.

LW Richard Whittaker – C Cole Schwindt – RW James Hardie
LW Nicolas Canade – C Keean Washkurak – RW Ty Collins
LW Aidan Prueter – C William Portokalis – RW Zakary Lavoie
LW Luca Del-Bel-Belluz – C Owen Beck – RW Carson Christy
LW Max Dodig/RW Rylan Bowers/RW Michael Stubbs

LD Ole Bjorgvik Holm – RD Thomas Harley
LD Duncan Penman – RD Ethan Del Mastro
LD Charlie Callaghan – RD Chas Sharpe
RD Craig Spence

G Kai Edmonds
G Joe Ranger

I think they like their forward group. They'll likely try to trade one or two of Dodig, Bowers or Stubbs for some picks, but that's it. They will also likely give Edmonds-Ranger another shot. Ranger will either be a starter or out of the organization by the end of next year, as I expect DiLauro to be the backup by then. Defense gets interesting. Harley may not be back and even with him in, the defense has room for improvement. I think they will make it an internal competition. They have a ton of options, all starting with who they pick in the Import Draft... Mississauga should have the 19th overall pick this year, and there could be a number of interesting talents who could come over. Ideally they get a defenseman, but if a much better winger or goalie is available, they could take them and then trade Canade/Whittaker/Edmonds to open up an OA spot for a defenseman. Some of the top options out there:

LD Stanislav Svozil - 03' - CZECH
F Marcus Almquist - 03' - SWEDEN U20 (Denmark Nationality)
LD Samuel Knazko - 02' - FINLAND U20 (Slovakian Nationality) *assuming he does not go 1st round, which is highly unlikely.
G Jan Bednar - 02' - CZECH
RW Veeti Miettinen - 01' - FINLAND U20 *Currently committed to St. Cloud State (NCAA)
LW Emil Heineman - 01' - SWEDEN U20 *Rumoured to be heading to NCAA for 2020-2021
C/RW Oskar Magnusson - 02' - SWEDEN U20
LW Ivan Didkovsky - 02' - RUSSIA JR.
LW/RW Daniel Torgersson - 02' - SWEDEN U20
C Elliot Ekmark - 02' - SWEDEN U20
RW Jakub Kolenic - 02' - SLOVAKIA
RW Alexander Pashin - 02' - RUSSIA JR.
C Marat Khusnutdinov - 02' - RUSSIA JR. *assuming he does not go 1st round, which is a long shot right now.
LD Anton Johannesson - 02' - SWEDEN U20
G Hugo Ollas - 02' - SWEDEN U20
LD Hugo Styf - 02' - SWEDEN U20
LD William Wallinder - 02' - SWEDEN U20
G Calle Clang - 02' - SWEDEN U20

These are all guys who are on my 2020 NHL Draft board (plus Svozil and Almquist, who are good prospects for 2021). For a more complete list:

2020 CHL IMPORT DRAFT PROSPECTS

 

[mtshapcott]

I am mostly surprised with how heavy they went on RW's at the top in one draft. 3/4 of their top picks were RW's, and their 4th was a center who will likely play at RW if he can not stick at C. All three could stick if they are good enough and they make room (i.e. move Hardie back to LW, trade Collins or move him to LW, move one of them to LW, etc.), but it's definitely not weak there anymore. They also still have Stubbs, Bowers and 2019 3rd round pick Josh Reid as RW options, but none of them are overly impressive at this point. They ended up drafting some defense late, and I think Wyatt Adkins could end up being a steal in the 12th round, but I expect they draft another one in the U18 draft along with a goalie and a LW for some added depth.

LW Richard Whittaker – C Cole Schwindt – RW James Hardie
LW Nicolas Canade – C Keean Washkurak – RW Ty Collins
LW Aidan Prueter – C William Portokalis – RW Zakary Lavoie
LW Luca Del-Bel-Belluz – C Owen Beck – RW Carson Christy
LW Max Dodig/RW Rylan Bowers/RW Michael Stubbs

LD Ole Bjorgvik Holm – RD Thomas Harley
LD Duncan Penman – RD Ethan Del Mastro
LD Charlie Callaghan – RD Chas Sharpe
RD Craig Spence

G Kai Edmonds
G Joe Ranger

I think they like their forward group. They'll likely try to trade one or two of Dodig, Bowers or Stubbs for some picks, but that's it. They will also likely give Edmonds-Ranger another shot. Ranger will either be a starter or out of the organization by the end of next year, as I expect DiLauro to be the backup by then. Defense gets interesting. Harley may not be back and even with him in, the defense has room for improvement. I think they will make it an internal competition. They have a ton of options, all starting with who they pick in the Import Draft... Mississauga should have the 19th overall pick this year, and there could be a number of interesting talents who could come over. Ideally they get a defenseman, but if a much better winger or goalie is available, they could take them and then trade Canade/Whittaker/Edmonds to open up an OA spot for a defenseman. Some of the top options out there:

LD Stanislav Svozil - 03' - CZECH
F Marcus Almquist - 03' - SWEDEN U20 (Denmark Nationality)
LD Samuel Knazko - 02' - FINLAND U20 (Slovakian Nationality) *assuming he does not go 1st round, which is highly unlikely.
G Jan Bednar - 02' - CZECH
RW Veeti Miettinen - 01' - FINLAND U20 *Currently committed to St. Cloud State (NCAA)
LW Emil Heineman - 01' - SWEDEN U20 *Rumoured to be heading to NCAA for 2020-2021
C/RW Oskar Magnusson - 02' - SWEDEN U20
LW Ivan Didkovsky - 02' - RUSSIA JR.
LW/RW Daniel Torgersson - 02' - SWEDEN U20
C Elliot Ekmark - 02' - SWEDEN U20
RW Jakub Kolenic - 02' - SLOVAKIA
RW Alexander Pashin - 02' - RUSSIA JR.
C Marat Khusnutdinov - 02' - RUSSIA JR. *assuming he does not go 1st round, which is a long shot right now.
LD Anton Johannesson - 02' - SWEDEN U20
G Hugo Ollas - 02' - SWEDEN U20
LD Hugo Styf - 02' - SWEDEN U20
LD William Wallinder - 02' - SWEDEN U20
G Calle Clang - 02' - SWEDEN U20

These are all guys who are on my 2020 NHL Draft board (plus Svozil and Almquist, who are good prospects for 2021). For a more complete list:

2020 CHL IMPORT DRAFT PROSPECTS

I like your lines. I think trading Canade or Whittaker would be a huge mistake, they each provide a level of grit that isnt easily replaced. I felt that last year it was too comfortable for most teams to play at the PFFC.
I would like to see Dodig play a bigger role next year, and I'm about ready to give up on Portokalis and Collins.
I love Callaghan but he makes too many mistakes. I'm concerned that Sharpe and Callaghan will be asked to do too much.

my suggested line up:
Hardie - Schwindt - Canade
Whittaker - Washkurak - Lavoie
Dodig - Prueter - Portokalis
Beck - Del bel belluz - Christy
trade: Collins and a pick for another Dman who can start

Harley - Bjorvik-Holm
Penman - Del Mastro
Callaghan - Sharpe

Edmonds
Ranger

 

[Steel Fishbowl]

I assume Edmonds will be back as the starter and they'll let DiLauro battle it out with Ranger for the backup spot, Ranger hasn't earned the trust of JR and it'll take a strong training camp/preseason to secure his spot. Agree that D is likely in the Import Draft both to complement the D core and also as a contingency plan for if Harley does not return

 

[Tarantula]

think trading Canade or Whittaker would be a huge mistake, they each provide a level of grit that isnt easily replaced.

Yeah, hope that isn't happening. I really cannot see Canade dealt as he will most likely be the captain going forward, IMO. Canade can also fill in throughout the line up including playing some dman if they get a short bench due to circumstances. Whitty carries sandpaper and emery cloth while on the ice and that is something that helps out some of the smaller guys. A under rated aspect of his game is when he forechecks, it is just amazing how the puck seems to wind up on his stick far more often then it should.

U18 draft, I think only one player the Trout drafted has played for them, Cameron Gaylor. 2017/18 season, did not return after his rookie year. Not sure if he was released by the team or wanted to play more minutes in another league. Looks like they picked up a goalie in the first round this year. Moore, Cole.

He was the fourth tender drafted as there was a run of goalies taken with three straight choices, 2nd, 3rd, 4th overall. I guess a few teams have some tending questions, also makes sense as goalies seem to develop on a different trajectory then most skaters.

Makes camp more interesting, looks like they may have some competition for Ranger without acquiring another tender and giving up a asset. However, you never know, if they really feel this is the year going ahead ( Schwidt, Washer, Harley will not be back after this season, if Harley is even returned) I think they will need to have a BUG they trust. I think it will be hard for a goalie who has not had a OHL puck shot at him to do so in the small window camp offers.

Thought JR was shrewd last season, dealing Ingham and obtaining some picks and picking up Edmonds. They were not in a position to challenge last year and Edmonds played better then I expected. Will be interesting to see how this plays out. I am cheering for Ranger to secure the BUG spot and put his potential together. He showed some good signs as a rookie but he didn't look like a OHL caliber netminder for most of last year. Ingham also had a fairly poor sophomore season and in his third year he vastly improved, between the ears mostly I think. He had a couple bad habits and would fall back when he had a couple get past him. His camp in LA obviously helped him. Ranger wasn't drafted and will not go to a pro camp but I would have to think another season of some games and practices under his belt will help out immensely.

I wound up watching the 72 Summit series and cannot get the Russian Anthem out of my head, and the funny thing is, I didn't listen to any of the anthems.

 

[HockeyPops]

 

[Tarantula]

Saw that, Congrats to #11 Schwinny, he had a real good second half of the season in particular. It has been fun watching him progress over the last couple of seasons.

 

[Tarantula]

List of CHL franchise post-season droughts - Wikipedia

Looks like the Steelheads have existed many years before I was aware and seemingly won a championship before I was born!

 

[Tarantula]

Long time droughts

Postseason

Team	Previous Postseason Appearance	Next Postseason Appearance	Drought
Mississauga Steelheads	1961–62	2000–01	39 seasons

[TBODY] [/TBODY]
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

 

[Tarantula]

Looks like Wiki is running St Mikes history into the Steelheads timeline. Which is ludicrous, as if you can imagine guys like Frank Mahovlich having their Mississauga numbers retired?

Have to laugh and shake your head at Wikipedia sometimes.

 

[mtshapcott]

To alleviate some of my lockdown boredom, and to bump the Steelheads thread a bit, here is my first of 4 "Top 5" lists for the 2019/20 season.

I attended about 20 home games this year along with my buddy. We came up with our own top5 lists and consolidated them. Let's hear your thoughts on our omissions!

Best Bodychecker:
Nicholas Canade - 10 points - imagine if he was 3 inches taller and 20 pounds heavier
Richard Whittaker - 7 points - has there ever been a time when he went into a corner and didn't come out with the puck?
Thomas Harley - 4 points - master of the rub out. He'll never hurt anyone with a thunderous hit, but man does he know how to use his frame
Keean Washkurak - 3 points - a skill player who plays the forecheck like a bull in a china shop
Charlie Callaghan/Duncan Penman - 2 points ea. - Chuckles gets points for no fear as an undersized D man. Penman the more prototypical big body in the d zone.

 

[Tarantula]

To alleviate some of my lockdown boredom, and to bump the Steelheads thread a bit, here is my first of 4 "Top 5" lists for the 2019/20 season.

I attended about 20 home games this year along with my buddy. We came up with our own top5 lists and consolidated them. Let's hear your thoughts on our omissions!

Best Bodychecker:
Nicholas Canade - 10 points - imagine if he was 3 inches taller and 20 pounds heavier
Richard Whittaker - 7 points - has there ever been a time when he went into a corner and didn't come out with the puck?
Thomas Harley - 4 points - master of the rub out. He'll never hurt anyone with a thunderous hit, but man does he know how to use his frame
Keean Washkurak - 3 points - a skill player who plays the forecheck like a bull in a china shop
Charlie Callaghan/Duncan Penman - 2 points ea. - Chuckles gets points for no fear as an undersized D man. Penman the more prototypical big body in the d zone.

Good post, nice to see some good Sauga conversation that merits some discussion. Pretty hard to disagree with your post, it was nice to see a little more balanced physical play this year from the team overall. I have been a Washer and Whitty fan for awhile now, Whittaker has been a top fore checker since he arrived, amazing how often he gets the puck cleanly, and Washer has always worked hard, and has played tough.

Honorable mention: #24 Liam Ham,

Keep up with the posts, something to talk about when the mood arises, and would see your next list.

 

[Shawn Davis]

Good post, nice to see some good Sauga conversation that merits some discussion. Pretty hard to disagree with your post, it was nice to see a little more balanced physical play this year from the team overall. I have been a Washer and Whitty fan for awhile now, Whittaker has been a top fore checker since he arrived, amazing how often he gets the puck cleanly, and Washer has always worked hard, and has played tough.

Honorable mention: #24 Liam Ham,

Keep up with the posts, something to talk about when the mood arises, and would see your next list.

I think another person in this list should be Dodig. Hits every forecheck and comes up with the puck the vast majority of the time.

 

[Tarantula]

I think another person in this list should be Dodig. Hits every forecheck and comes up with the puck the vast majority of the time.

Agreed, he looked better with more ice time.

 

[mtshapcott]

Honourable Mentions to Liam Ham and Max Dodig are hereby officially issued.

 

[mtshapcott]

Here is our second Top 5 for the 2019/20 season: Best Skater

We were spoiled in 'sauga the last few years with the MacLeod brothers. They set a very high standard for skating that this year's team could not easily replicate, but here goes:

1. Keean Washkurak - 9 points - remember the Hasbro game "Battling Tops"? Washer is kind of like one of those tops, when you touch him one of the two are likely to spin wildly out of the rink
2. Thomas Harley - 8 points - the only debate here is which musician best exemplifies his skating style - Barry White or Carlos Santana?
3. Nicholas Canade - 6 points - the Energizer Bunny of the team.
4. Cole Schwindt - 5 points - consistently quick for his size
5. Calvin Martin/Max Dodig - 1 point ea. - fifth place on this team could have gone to a number of players....this one is a toss up.