*OFFICIAL* Kitchener Rangers 2012-13 Season Thread (Part 2)

[bobber]

When Bienkowski hired Spott he did it because he wanted the same system in place here as was established by Deboer. Now if Spott has strayed from that system he should have to answer why. The Rangers play in the western conference where teams play hard aggressive hockey. Since Deboer's departure the penalty minutes have gone from being up near the top to down near the bottom. This is an indication that the team has taken a softer approach that will not win them anything in this division if it continues. The power play has also slumped. Just saying.

 

[bobber]

Attended the mini camp at Activa last night. some decent looking rookies and free agents there. Low scoring game. Really impressed with Doug Blaisdale the big American D. He really stood out last night among his peers. He is going to be a good D man if they get him signed. He wants to play here so It should happen over the summer. Frank Hora also was impressive. I thought most of last years picks seem to look decent. Hard to judge rookies when they aren't playing against experienced OHL players.

 

[bobber]

Forgot to mention Mike Davies the first pick. Big kid , good skater. Never did anything too impressive but had a good game other wise. Jacob Cascagnette from Kitchener another pick is a big kid who I thought looked as good as Davies when he was on the ice. There was a smaller stalky player named Adam Kawalec that reminded me of Duco a bit. Aggressive kid that wasn't afraid to get his nose dirty.

 

[Tim Wallach]

Thanks for the reports Bobber. Keep 'em coming if you can. I was wondering what we have in camp, but can't attend this year.

 

[bobber]

Lord Anthony Grissom is a tall D man with a bit of grit but not sure his skating is up to par for the OHL at this time. Not likely to make the team next season with the D we have coming back and Blaisdell coming in. Blaisdale made an impressive rush once that got the crowd going. Wouldn't want to step in front of him in couple of years. Huge kid for his age. Alex Gilmore is a big forward free agent that looked decent. Scott Pederson is a big kid also but I have my doubts he makes next years squad. A forward named Jake Shultz had a good game. Another big free agent. Mitchell Binnie a draft pick from last year was there but kind of small and not overly impressive. Goalies seem decent. Greenfield and Izzy Benigno in net. Not sure if either could play in the O. They would have to be tested by vets first.

 

[EvenSteven]

My two cents after only seeing this morning's scrimmage:

Pet Peeve!! Why they don't have each player's date of birth I'll never know. The FA invites are how old? Exactly! Anyways.....

The defensmen that stood out to me were Doug Blaisdell, Frank Hora, Lordanthony Grissom, and Logan Schmidt.

Blaisdell - Best player on the ice today. Big and solid. Skates well with the puck. He's the guy who'll eventually be out there at the end of games whether we're up or down a goal. Played like he already has a season or two OHL time under his belt.

Hora - He was paired up with Blaisdell. They played well together. Both had good first passes out of the zone. Big guy too but didn't seem to have the weight that his partner did. No matter. Perhaps they'll thrive as partners next year as the third pairing.

Grissom -He wasn't as smooth a skater as Blaisdell and Schmidt but IMO, isn't as bad as bobber thought. He's big, likes to hit, likes to rush the puck, and was solid in his own end. After rushing the puck deep into the offensive zone he was very quick to get back.

Schmidt - Looks like an offensive d-man. Rushed the puck well and looked very comfortable on the PP. Did get rocked while rushing the puck one time. Gotta keep your head up.

Bobber doesn't see Grissom making the team with the d-men we have returning (Fanelli, McEneny, Iafrate, Gilbert and Stewart), but we are rebuilding next year. IMO, that means any d-man that won't be with us in 2014-15 could/should be moved by the deadline if there is a demand for them no matter who that is (Yes, even Fanelli if there's demand and he accepts a trade to a contender to try and win a championship). With this in mind, we could see as many as three or four rookies among the 7 or 8 defensmen on the roster next year.



The forwards that stood out to me were Mike Davies, Kegan Blasby and Ty Learn.

Davies - He didn't stand out like a 1st round pick should have IMO. But he did look pretty decent. But if I'd walked into the scrimmage without benefit of a lineup sheet, player's names on their backs, or knowing that our 1st rounder was a forward, I'd have guessed that Blaisdell was our 1st rounder.

Blasby - Huge kid. Looks ready to make the jump to the next level. Scored a nice goal today. Played with Davies and looked good with him.

Learn - Looked like that player who may have been here last year full time and was just out for a skate. Seemed to take shifts off but had some really good shifts too. He didn't look like a player who was going all out to impress the brass - but just turned it on when he wanted to. But when he turned it on, he was one of the best forwards out there. I'll be looking for more determination out of him in the fall.

The only goalie that I liked today was Stefano Durante. He was the best of the three IMO and was tough to beat in the shootout.


Again, this was after only seeing Sunday morning's scrimmage.

 

[bobber]

Even, I never thought Grissom looked as bad as you make out. I thought he played well Saturday eve the only time I saw him. He was aggressive in defending his net which is what should be expected of our D and something the team lacked this last season. His skating seemed a little rough at times on turns and when he pivots to go from forward position to a backward position. I would think if he made next years squad it will be as a project. I agree with your assessment of the other players. I thought Learn was doing the same thing you mentioned Saturday and wondered if he was just more mature and playing his position instead of panicking and running around like some of the younger guys. Its hard to find info on some of the free agents. I am sure some of them were 17 year olds that played Tier Two or B hockey. Some big kids out there.

 

[Tim Wallach]

Thanks for the updates both of you.

It doesn't sound like there were any stellar free agents out there. So I'm still holding out hope a McInnis or possibly one of this year's American draft picks shows up. I'd much rather work them in this year for some potential rewards in 2014-2015.

 

[bobber]

Adam Kawalec a smallish forward that was there Saturday I believe played some hockey with the Dutchies. Not sure if he was a call up from Midget for the play offs or what the deal was. He is aggressive for a small player and reminded me a bit of Duco when he was a young kid new to the league. I thought Cascagnette played well and stood out also. Gilmore is a big kid. I found some info that said he was 6' 4 ". He performed well out there. I agree that if they have a full on rebuild and some teams find value in some of last years returning D they should bring in a few new D men and start fresh. Spott and the scouting staff were all in that glassed in room. I always wonder what the look for when observing these kids. Be nice to be that fly on the wall in there.

 

[bobber]

Thanks for the updates both of you.

It doesn't sound like there were any stellar free agents out there. So I'm still holding out hope a McInnis or possibly one of this year's American draft picks shows up. I'd much rather work them in this year for some potential rewards in 2014-2015.

Tim I think what happens sometimes is we forget its a midget camp and that is what we are seeing out there. Its more of how they perform if invited to the main camp that tells the stories. Owen Steward I thought played well in the main camp but hardly got a sniff all year. I read where a scout said if you don't dominate at the level you are playing at you will struggle at the next level. The player that dominated at this camp was Blaisdale if you can call it that.

 

[Tim Wallach]

Spott and the scouting staff were all in that glassed in room. I always wonder what the look for when observing these kids. Be nice to be that fly on the wall in there.

Scout: "Hey Steve, what do you think of that kid?"

Spott: "Don't like him. He hits too much and plays with too much energy."

(Sorry, I had to give you a glimpse of what I assume goes on in that room.)

 

[Tim Wallach]

Tim I think what happens sometimes is we forget its a midget camp and that is what we are seeing out there. Its more of how they perform if invited to the main camp that tells the stories. Owen Steward I thought played well in the main camp but hardly got a sniff all year. I read where a scout said if you don't dominate at the level you are playing at you will struggle at the next level. The player that dominated at this camp was Blaisdale if you can call it that.

For sure. Playing against your peer group is a big indicator. If kids don't stand out there, it's unlikely they'll make much of an impact against seasoned 19-year-olds.

 

[BenchedGuy]

Just thought I would throw out my two cents. Saw Saturday morning game. Alot of what was mentioned already was what I would say as well.

Blaisdell and Hora to me were definitely the 2 best D I saw out there. Logan Schmidt looked good to, very consistant with his play and made a lot of good passes out there. I liked Schmidt better than L.A. Grissom. Grissom seemed a little hesitant out there on Saturday morning, but he did look alright too. I can see Blaisdell and Hora making the team if they play like that night in and night out.

For the forwards it was somewhat of what I expected. Llewellyn, Learn, and Blasby appeared to be the top forwards. I would like to put Davies there as well but it seemed to me that he tried to do too much himself and not use his line mates as much. That would be my criticizism on what I saw. Bzowey didnt look out of place either but didnt dominate at any aspect either.

The darkhorse that I saw would have been Gilmour, big kid with some speed and could handle the puck. Gilmour also looked to have good cardio as some of the kids died out at the end of the game he stayed consistant. Another one I liked was Binnie, kid has speed to burn but got knocked off the puck too easy. If he fixes that I would say he has a shot.

Somewhat underwhelming to me was Cascagnette. Has a big frame and you can see some tools but he didnt seem to be in the play as much or use his team mates. Maybe I expected more but Bzowey and Gilmour looked better to me than Cascagnette.



No goaltenders really stood out. Marcus Hlywka & Stefano Durante were the 2 tenders that I saw playing. Not a shot at them as it was low scoring and they mainly squared up to the shooters, but rebound control and actually gloving the puck was an issue. Would have been good to see Izzy and Greenfield.

 

[Ward Cornell]

Scout: "Hey Steve, what do you think of that kid?"

Spott: "Don't like him. He hits too much and plays with too much energy."

(Sorry, I had to give you a glimpse of what I assume goes on in that room.)

I guess you left the glassed in room to hear more conversation...

Scout: "That kids never stops skating and he brings it from his 1st shift to his last!!"

Spott: "Well, we can't have consistent effort. Gimme a few weeks with him and I can get rid of that consistency!
By the way...I phoned Great Canadian Buslines and I got them to jack-up the team bus since too many players were getting injured when
I kept throwing them under the bus when I had to find scapegoats for my coaching! I tried drafting small players due to this but to no success
lately so doing modifications to the bus was the next best thing!"

 

[Ward Cornell]

Even, I never thought Grissom looked as bad as you make out. I thought he played well Saturday eve the only time I saw him. He was aggressive in defending his net which is what should be expected of our D and something the team lacked this last season. His skating seemed a little rough at times on turns and when he pivots to go from forward position to a backward position. I would think if he made next years squad it will be as a project.

Not sure if Lord Anthony had the mobilty or lateral movement to really succeed in the OHL.
Perhaps if he worked with a skating coach it may help him. But yes, I did like his physical play.
* edited to add.....Lord Anthony wasn't invited to the Rangers main camp as per his twitter account. Not really shocking!

As for Blaisdell, if we got him in the 3rd round then it makes me pissed that we never have 2nd round draft picks.
From what I've seen of Blaisdell and read about him he should have been a 1st rd pick! I guess Spott believes in giving the team a
handicap with his lack of draft picks then with what he has left of picks he drafts 2 or 3 goalies a year without giving them a fair chance.

edited to add.......as for Frank Hora, the kid was smooth and was very calm out there and never made a mistake form my viewing. He'll bottom out as 3rd or 4th dman and could be a good #2 dman on the team. A Matt Lashoff would be good comparision.

 

[CharlieGirl]

I guess you left the glassed in room to hear more conversation...

Scout: "That kids never stops skating and he brings it from his 1st shift to his last!!"

Spott: "Well, we can't have consistent effort. Gimme a few weeks with him and I can get rid of that consistency!
By the way...I phoned Great Canadian Buslines and I got them to jack-up the team bus since too many players were getting injured when
I kept throwing them under them when I had to find scapegoats for my coaching! I tried drafting small players due to this but to no success
lately so doing modifications to the bus was the next best thing!"

So sad, so true. Thanks for the reports folks - I wasn't able to get there but I'm looking forward to seeing these kids at the main camp.

I'm hoping Lord Anthony Grissom makes the team. Dave Schneider ought to have a blast with that name!

 

[Tim Wallach]

I guess you left the glassed in room to hear more conversation...

Scout: "That kids never stops skating and he brings it from his 1st shift to his last!!"

Spott: "Well, we can't have consistent effort. Gimme a few weeks with him and I can get rid of that consistency!
By the way...I phoned Great Canadian Buslines and I got them to jack-up the team bus since too many players were getting injured when
I kept throwing them under the bus when I had to find scapegoats for my coaching! I tried drafting small players due to this but to no success
lately so doing modifications to the bus was the next best thing!"

Very nice. I did assume something like that came next. I just left the room at that point because the kids had played hard for a good 15 or 16 minutes and I didn't want to witness the inevitable Ranger let-down.

 

[Ward Cornell]

Doug Blaisdell has been signed by the Rangers.
http://www.kitchenerrangers.com/article/rangers-sign-blaisdell

 

[kwrangersfan22]

ES - In all fairness to Learns performance in the rookie camp. He had a season ending injury -concussion out for 7 weeks and was given clearance to skate approximately a week before camp.

 

[kwrangersfan22]

ES - In all fairness to Learns performance in the rookie camp. He had a season ending injury -concussion out for 7 weeks and was given clearance to skate approximately a week before camp.

 

[bobber]

I thought Learn looked decent in the camp. Seemed mature , played his position well and did basically what was expected. As you said he was injured and like Davies who had mono it takes time to get back in shape. Spott says Davies has a long way to go yet to get into top shape which surprised me because I thought he looked decent in camp. Glad to see Blaisdale signed. Big upside with this kid for sure.

 

[bobber]

Kitchener Rangers Head Coach and General Manager Steve Spott announced today that the team has signed defenceman Frank Hora to an Ontario Hockey League contract. Hora was the Rangers’ 8th round pick in the 2012 OHL Priority Selection.

Described by Rangers scouts as a smart defensive player with great size and strength, Hora played 61 games with the Buffalo Jr. Sabres U18 team in 2012-13, recording seven goals and 18 assists. He also recorded seven points in five games with the Ontario Junior Hockey League Buffalo Jr. Sabres.

Frank Hora
Hometown: Cheektowaga, NY
Birthdate: June 1, 1996
Height: 6.01
Weight: 180
Position: D
Shoots: R

 

[bobber]

Kitchener Rangers Head Coach and General Manager Steve Spott announced today that the team has signed free agent Jimmy Soper to an Ontario Hockey League contract.

A Waterloo native, Soper played 48 regular season Junior B games with the Waterloo Siskins this season, scoring a team-high 29 goals and adding 24 assists. Soper also scored a pair of playoff goals and two assists in the Siskins postseason series against the Stratford Cullitons. He was recognized as the Siskins Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player at their End of Season banquet.

Jimmy Soper
Position: LW
Shoots: L
Height: 6.00
Weight: 160
Birthdate: March 19, 1995
Hometown: Waterloo, ON

 

[Phatpat88]

When does the summer trade freeze end

 

[Elvs]

Kitchener Rangers Head Coach and General Manager Steve Spott announced today that the team has signed defenceman Frank Hora to an Ontario Hockey League contract. Hora was the Rangers’ 8th round pick in the 2012 OHL Priority Selection.

Described by Rangers scouts as a smart defensive player with great size and strength, Hora played 61 games with the Buffalo Jr. Sabres U18 team in 2012-13, recording seven goals and 18 assists. He also recorded seven points in five games with the Ontario Junior Hockey League Buffalo Jr. Sabres.

Frank Hora
Hometown: Cheektowaga, NY
Birthdate: June 1, 1996
Height: 6.01
Weight: 180
Position: D
Shoots: R

If he ever reaches the international stage, he's gonna be well recognized in Sweden with that name. Even among the casual fans.