*OFFICIAL* Windsor Spitfires 2013-14 Season Thread (Part 3)

[member 71782]

I am of the opinion and this is what the organization was saying defense was going to be a strength and one of the best in the league. I understand they lost Sieloff but does losing one guy put your team in a position to search for a replacement, that's if your defense is really as good as you say it is?

Yes the fans deserve a winner but just as the fans saw a winner in 10-11 it's been at the expense of the next two years and we still don't know what this team can do. I don't want a decent team at the expense of being bad for the next 2-3 years.

A lot of this.

A team that was supposed to be a top team on the blue line loses one player and rushes out to pick someone up asap looks desperate to cover something up.

It's not about throwing in the towel after 3 games and it's not about a 6th round pick.

It is about a team that says one thing and the loss of a single player 3 games in appears to force their hand in an area that is supposed to be an area of strength for them.

Regardless of how they do this season the young kids are their future but as usual developing young kids has become secondary to this team.

Picks can be recovered at the deadline and other deals as well as players, not necessarily OAs which would have been better in the end.

They spent a 6th and a card on an OA 3 games in to fill a hole in an area they were supposedly strong and deep at when they likely could have picked up an equally talented player in a deal if they decide to sell.

If they decide to stand pat or try to add for a mini run this team will be in trouble asset wise for 2 more years.since they will nothing to add to the young kids down the road if they progress as hoped for.

 

[youngblood10]

A lot of this.

A team that was supposed to be a top team on the blue line loses one player and rushes out to pick someone up asap looks desperate to cover something up.

It's not about throwing in the towel after 3 games and it's not about a 6th round pick.

It is about a team that says one thing and the loss of a single player 3 games in appears to force their hand in an area that is supposed to be an area of strength for them.

Regardless of how they do this season the young kids are their future but as usual developing young kids has become secondary to this team.

Picks can be recovered at the deadline and other deals as well as players, not necessarily OAs which would have been better in the end.

They spent a 6th and a card on an OA 3 games in to fill a hole in an area they were supposedly strong and deep at when they likely could have picked up an equally talented player in a deal if they decide to sell.

If they decide to stand pat or try to add for a mini run this team will be in trouble asset wise for 2 more years.since they will nothing to add to the young kids down the road if they progress as hoped for.

I don't think you guys are being fair here, when staking up the Spits defence 1 through 6 including Sieloff they did match up with anyone in the league and it is a strength of the team, the forwards aren't and the goaltending isn't. They would of had two elite defensemen and at this level it's all about the elite players. The game is only 60 minutes and this one player would have played 25+ of them. That is a huge loss and a big void to fill. Had they lost any other defensemen excluding Koekkoek they don't miss a beat. Have to realize this isn't one of the Memorial Cup teams. Those kind of teams will never happen again so we better get over it.

It is a veteran team but I think they are giving the kids big roles, Ho-Sang, Moore, Yazkov are all seeing top 6 minutes right now. And the bottom 4/5 forwards are virtually all first, second year players. The defence has a mix of players with eligibility through out also. They are trying to give DeKort the starting job but he isn't living up to his end of the bargain. So I don't understand the notion that they are not giving the kids a chance to develop.

Not trying to be a cheerleader by any means and I get it, WR is a pompous ass but the perceived criticism doesn't hold water when looking at what really is going on.

 

[hockeylegend11]

I don't think you guys are being fair here, when staking up the Spits defence 1 through 6 including Sieloff they did match up with anyone in the league and it is a strength of the team, the forwards aren't and the goaltending isn't. They would of had two elite defensemen and at this level it's all about the elite players. The game is only 60 minutes and this one player would have played 25+ of them. That is a huge loss and a big void to fill. Had they lost any other defensemen excluding Koekkoek they don't miss a beat. Have to realize this isn't one of the Memorial Cup teams. Those kind of teams will never happen again so we better get over it.

It is a veteran team but I think they are giving the kids big roles, Ho-Sang, Moore, Yazkov are all seeing top 6 minutes right now. And the bottom 4/5 forwards are virtually all first, second year players. The defence has a mix of players with eligibility through out also. They are trying to give DeKort the starting job but he isn't living up to his end of the bargain. So I don't understand the notion that they are not giving the kids a chance to develop.

Not trying to be a cheerleader by any means and I get it, WR is a pompous ass but the perceived criticism doesn't hold water when looking at what really is going on.

I agree with what u said above,the kids are getting a chance especially,Moore,Yazkov,Hosang,Cobham,Foss,Brown and Sanvido
Others such Hughes and Murray are getting minutes now what with all the injuries and NHL camp situations
U are right about Dekort,hopefully he or Kuchmey runs with it,I prefer the younger goalie but if the wins it so be it
Projecting ahead,beyond this year is promising in my view,2 pretty decent drafts,especially considering the sanctions that impacted the 1 just pass,though for the next 2 yrs Windsor does have a 1st rder,a high 2nd rder in 2014 from Nia and their 1st rd in the Euro draft
Add those potential players to the existing base,and its not as bad as its made out to be
I think there a nice mixture of youth and exp on this roster going forward and if things should tank things will be done about it,if not I dont think much if any will be done to effect the future mini deals yes but dealing youth I somehow doubt it

Looking ahead here are the top 20 players in the system 17 and younger

Forwards
Moore-HoSang-Yazkov
Luchuk-Schmaltz-Foss
Verbeek-Hughes-Cobham
Warren-Hudie-Andlauer
other-Leslie-Miller-Fischer-
Marlatt-Demontis

Def- Brown-Sanvido
Murray-Burns
Kotsovos-Markovic
Other-Baughman-Morrison

Goal
Johnston-Billings

Actually I included 27 players when u factor in some others
To me thats a real good base to work from
The scouts still have to be on their toes for this yr and next,but in my opinion
there is depth organizationally at all positions something from a youth point
has not been the case for the past 3 or 4 seasons
Work still be done for sure,acouple more high end kids i addition to HoSang Moore
and Yazkov is the target,and it appears they have some of picks to do it in 2014,2015 draft

 

[RayzorIsDull]

I don't think you guys are being fair here, when staking up the Spits defence 1 through 6 including Sieloff they did match up with anyone in the league and it is a strength of the team, the forwards aren't and the goaltending isn't. They would of had two elite defensemen and at this level it's all about the elite players. The game is only 60 minutes and this one player would have played 25+ of them. That is a huge loss and a big void to fill. Had they lost any other defensemen excluding Koekkoek they don't miss a beat. Have to realize this isn't one of the Memorial Cup teams. Those kind of teams will never happen again so we better get over it.

It is a veteran team but I think they are giving the kids big roles, Ho-Sang, Moore, Yazkov are all seeing top 6 minutes right now. And the bottom 4/5 forwards are virtually all first, second year players. The defence has a mix of players with eligibility through out also. They are trying to give DeKort the starting job but he isn't living up to his end of the bargain. So I don't understand the notion that they are not giving the kids a chance to develop.

Not trying to be a cheerleader by any means and I get it, WR is a pompous ass but the perceived criticism doesn't hold water when looking at what really is going on.

I understand what you're saying I firmly believe the area Sieloff hurts Windsor most is that it's one less asset to move and you would have got a lot in return. You said the forwards aren't a strength and neither is goaltending then why go out and get a D right away? If forwards aren't a strength wouldn't you want to improve that area of the team? The Diodati move effects the ice time of Sanvido, Brown and Murray much more than Murphy, Ebert or Koekkoek.

I am just in a different boat when it comes to addressing your needs. If you wait 3 games to make a move what will you do if the forwards have trouble scoring on Nedjelkovic and Stolarz this week? Does Warren go out and get a forward to help address that? Spits are in a tough conference with the likes of Ned, Stolarz, Paterson, Soo and Guelph have both shown the ability to keep the goals down. The Spits play Saginaw, Plymouth and London collectively 20 times out of your 68 game sched which is close to 33% of your sched. Boogie and Warren really trying to win 2-1, 3-2 games against those teams? This is like opposing NFL teams trying to win games by kicking FG's to beat the Denver Broncos who score 40 points per game. You may get your close game against Plymouth but they have the better goalie and it would help if you had that top forward to be the difference maker.

 

[OHLTG]

...unless there's something brewing regarding a D we don't know about? Get the D while you have a chance, then deal another d for what we need up front + picks?

I don't know anything, but throwing it out there.

 

[youngblood10]

I understand what you're saying I firmly believe the area Sieloff hurts Windsor most is that it's one less asset to move and you would have got a lot in return. You said the forwards aren't a strength and neither is goaltending then why go out and get a D right away? If forwards aren't a strength wouldn't you want to improve that area of the team? The Diodati move effects the ice time of Sanvido, Brown and Murray much more than Murphy, Ebert or Koekkoek.

I am just in a different boat when it comes to addressing your needs. If you wait 3 games to make a move what will you do if the forwards have trouble scoring on Nedjelkovic and Stolarz this week? Does Warren go out and get a forward to help address that? Spits are in a tough conference with the likes of Ned, Stolarz, Paterson, Soo and Guelph have both shown the ability to keep the goals down. The Spits play Saginaw, Plymouth and London collectively 20 times out of your 68 game sched which is close to 33% of your sched. Boogie and Warren really trying to win 2-1, 3-2 games against those teams? This is like opposing NFL teams trying to win games by kicking FG's to beat the Denver Broncos who score 40 points per game. You may get your close game against Plymouth but they have the better goalie and it would help if you had that top forward to be the difference maker.

They are not going to be able to bring in enough scoring or goaltending with a 6th round pick to change the fortunes of the team. Where here with the d they did and in effect help the goaltending. Also it solidifies the OA's. Best three they have had in years who actually bring value to the team. Those players listed are not going to play any less now than if Sieloff was returned and they are not ready to play huge minutes yet as you, yourself have pointed out several times.

Even if they are shut out the next 10 games I doubt very much they start buying like mad and mortgage the next 5 years. It will be a major sell off, bank on it.

 

[RayzorIsDull]

They are not going to be able to bring in enough scoring or goaltending with a 6th round pick to change the fortunes of the team. Where here with the d they did and in effect help the goaltending. Also it solidifies the OA's. Best three they have had in years who actually bring value to the team. Those players listed are not going to play any less now than if Sieloff was returned and they are not ready to play huge minutes yet as you, yourself have pointed out several times.

Even if they are shut out the next 10 games I doubt very much they start buying like mad and mortgage the next 5 years. It will be a major sell off, bank on it.

Yes they have 3 real good OA's after not valuing that position the past 2 years for some unknown reason.

I know what you're saying but if they move a D in a sell off the only ones you would move are Koekkoek or Ebert then you're in the same position after Sieloff left trying to fill 25 minutes per game. I sincerely doubt Diodati gets moved and I don't see Murphy having much value. They could always move Bateman but he hasn't played a shift this year. Unless they are trying to grab a few extra wins right now which might matter in pursuit of a playoff spot for when they finally sell off?

 

[hockeylegend11]

I understand what you're saying I firmly believe the area Sieloff hurts Windsor most is that it's one less asset to move and you would have got a lot in return. You said the forwards aren't a strength and neither is goaltending then why go out and get a D right away? If forwards aren't a strength wouldn't you want to improve that area of the team? The Diodati move effects the ice time of Sanvido, Brown and Murray much more than Murphy, Ebert or Koekkoek.

I am just in a different boat when it comes to addressing your needs. If you wait 3 games to make a move what will you do if the forwards have trouble scoring on Nedjelkovic and Stolarz this week? Does Warren go out and get a forward to help address that? Spits are in a tough conference with the likes of Ned, Stolarz, Paterson, Soo and Guelph have both shown the ability to keep the goals down. The Spits play Saginaw, Plymouth and London collectively 20 times out of your 68 game sched which is close to 33% of your sched. Boogie and Warren really trying to win 2-1, 3-2 games against those teams? This is like opposing NFL teams trying to win games by kicking FG's to beat the Denver Broncos who score 40 points per game. You may get your close game against Plymouth but they have the better goalie and it would help if you had that top forward to be the difference maker.

Rayzor

Still not convinced Spits will have trouble scoring,other then the Sault in the division
only team to score more then they have allowed,are 2nd in the division with GFA with 4,Sault is 5,though they had 10 in their 1st game,5 the next 2,despite onlly 3 games with alot of folks missing,7 the 1st game alone,unlike most of the teams in the division save Plymouth without Carrick and Wilson
Saggy is having trouble scoring and preventing despite goaltending ditto Plymouth,I
dont plymouth doing alot better without Wilson and Carrick,Saggy doesnt get Locke then they will suffer too.their def is awful,much like Eries,Sarnia will struggle all year,Erie will scorealot but allow alot,Windsor forwards gave them fits on Sat
Giftopoulous back really helps the forward corps,Diodati stabilizes the D,has some off ability
The division is pretty wide open in my view,Guelph and London if they get everybody back are the elite,the rest a dogfight and Spits are right in it
Saginaw without Locke,Plymouth without Carrick and Wilson,Windsor without Seiloff,Sarnia rebuilding,SSM starting fast but suffering losses to the D and upfront,plus trading one of the better backups in the league,gives no team a decided edge,the respective player losses of Windsor,Saggy and Plymouth has changed the dyamics of the conference of the conference and ulttimately the conf
When u look on the other side,Kitcherner and Owen Sd are in rebuild,Erie lokks to takre the next step but their D is still achilles heal,and we already know about London and Guelph
Like I said no problem getting Diodati in was a cheap price,if theirs a meltdown by Windsor then a selloff is needed,time will tell

 

[superspitfan99]

Yes that will be his number.

I'm pretty sure that Diodati wore 27 when playing Jr. B and was the last player to do so for that team. The number was retired the year after due to a long time player passing away from cancer.

 

[RayzorIsDull]

I guess we will have to wait and see. I think Plymouth is going to be better than people think the games will be very tight and their goalie will be expected to be the difference.

This week is a big one for the Spits they need to at least split the first two to give them a shot of a 2-1 weekend. If they go 1-2 that shouldn't be acceptable. After getting their butts kicked last year by Plymouth you would hope this group comes out and wants to prove something.

 

[hockeylegend11]

I guess we will have to wait and see. I think Plymouth is going to be better than people think the games will be very tight and their goalie will be expected to be the difference.

This week is a big one for the Spits they need to at least split the first two to give them a shot of a 2-1 weekend. If they go 1-2 that shouldn't be acceptable. After getting their butts kicked last year by Plymouth you would hope this group comes out and wants to prove something.

Losing Carrick is huge worse then Wilson.leaving Curcuruto as their only bonafide D and like Koekkoek has proven to be injury prone,very thin upfront,great goaltender but unlike last yr has not got the goals scoring ability as a safety net pardon the pun
Curious what u say if Spits go 3-0 or get 5 pts on a 3 in a 3 1/2 sched

 

[RayzorIsDull]

Losing Carrick is huge worse then Wilson.leaving Curcuruto as their only bonafide D and like Koekkoek has proven to be injury prone,very thin upfront,great goaltender but unlike last yr has not got the goals scoring ability as a safety net pardon the pun
Curious what u say if Spits go 3-0 or get 5 pts on a 3 in a 3 1/2 sched

I would give them a lot of credit for that. The tough one is going to be tonight because if they don't get it then they have to salvage a point in London. They should beat Niagara though.

 

[hockeylegend11]

I guess we will have to wait and see. I think Plymouth is going to be better than people think the games will be very tight and their goalie will be expected to be the difference.

This week is a big one for the Spits they need to at least split the first two to give them a shot of a 2-1 weekend. If they go 1-2 that shouldn't be acceptable. After getting their butts kicked last year by Plymouth you would hope this group comes out and wants to prove something.

You are right their fine goal tender will have to bail them out most nights,not much scoring from the forwards or the D,nobody after 5 games is ave a pt per game,Carter Sandlaks 2G 2A lead the team in scoring Mistele is 3G,0A after 5,Spits on the other hand have 2 players averaging 2 or more pts per game Rychel and Vail,and 2 others have a pt per game or more HoSang and Yazkov
13 goals in 5 games by the Whale with 5 in one game at Peter is going to make it
tough for Nedeljkovic,and I dont see getting much better without Wilson and Carrick
The Whales dont have their 1st rd pick, and without the 2 stars this team is in rebuild
make no mistake,any success dev aside will be surprising

 

[HeyHeySpits]

If hockey doesn't pan out for Hartman, he should have a good career in acting.

Cogeco crew should take some speech lessons.

 

[OHLTG]

5-1 Windsor final.

Johnson with the hat-trick, Moore and Vail with the others.

Kuchmey's only goal allowed was on a penalty shot; really had no chance.

Windsor took it to them from start-to-finish. I don't know whether Plymouth simply didn't show up or whether this is an actual down year for them. Either way, it was a very one-sided contest.

Scary moment in the second - Ryan Moore playing the puck along the boards near the penalty box, gets head-checked pretty good by someone (Rathgeb?). Bilcke and Brown both tried to get at Rathgeb, who had to be held back by an official, as Moore went off groggy. No penalty on the play. A few min later, though, a bunch of them got into a scrum with Giftopoulos and Mitch Jones duking it out a bit.

If Windsor can bring this kind of effort to London tomorrow, you never know what could happen.

 

[etr102]

I think you have to sick with kuchmey against London. Give DeKort the Sunday game. Good effort overall.

 

[GBFP]

Bilcke has his left hand wrapped/bandaged a bit - meaning he can't fight. So why not dress Bowen? Rathgeb seemed to like to bully the smaller guys but not interested in anybody his size.

 

[hockeylegend11]

After the 1st thought I was watching the Sarnia-Windsor game from last week,1st 2 minutes of the game had 3-0 lead in shots,after that Spits outshot them 14-1 the rest of the period
After the Whale scored a penalty shot goal,Spits killed of a 1.56- 2 man adv for Plymouth,the tide changed finally and Spits waltzed to an easy 5-1 victory
Not surprised,thought Windsor would win by 4,just had the score wrong I figured 6-2 Windsor,despite a great goalie,and as I have noted before losing Wilson and Carrick has crippled this team,they are pretty young otherwise and will have trouble scoring I think for most of the year
Windsor on the other hand got 4 goals from the Vail-Johnson-Janes line,and the other from the Ryan Moore-Gifto-Bilcke line on Moore's 1st OHL goal,Rychel picked up an assist on the tail end of a pp v with the Vail line,otherwise his line was pretty quiet
The kid line of Foss-Cobham-Hughes played pretty well especially Foss who 4 chances to score on 1 shift
The D was pretty solid,pretty debut for Diodati,he had a steadying influence,while Koekkoek was solid at both ends and had 2 assists,while Murphy and Sanvodo had their best games of the season,Ebert was good but not great,While Brown I thought struggled a bit tonite,seemed to be a bit off
As for Kuchmey at times thought he was shaky more so the 1st half,but played very well during the 2 man disadv and carried on from there
Should be interesting in London tomorrow nite as the Spits go for their straight win

 

[KyGuy9]

Yes, I believe Kuchmey has earned to play in tomorrow's game. He will give us the best chance to win, as he is 2-0 compared to DeKort's 0-2. Looked real good tonight. If DeKort can't handle Sarnia, how will they feel about putting him against a much stronger team tomorrow? Kuch has already faced an offensive-talented team in Erie, so if the Spits give the same effort they gave tonight, they should be ok. Congrats to Ryan Moore on his first goal and Ben Johnson on the hat trick. If there is another trade to be made, I would target Brandon Robinson, forward from NB. Finally got his first point in 7 games this season tonight. Had a decent rookie year, former 1st round pick, late-1995 birthday, NHL draft year. I met him during the Under-17's, real nice kid. Could use a change of scenery, what do you guys think?

 

[hockeylegend11]

Yes, I believe Kuchmey has earned to play in tomorrow's game. He will give us the best chance to win, as he is 2-0 compared to DeKort's 0-2. Looked real good tonight. If DeKort can't handle Sarnia, how will they feel about putting him against a much stronger team tomorrow? Kuch has already faced an offensive-talented team in Erie, so if the Spits give the same effort they gave tonight, they should be ok. Congrats to Ryan Moore on his first goal and Ben Johnson on the hat trick. If there is another trade to be made, I would target Brandon Robinson, forward from NB. Finally got his first point in 7 games this season tonight. Had a decent rookie year, former 1st round pick, late-1995 birthday, NHL draft year. I met him during the Under-17's, real nice kid. Could use a change of scenery, what do you guys think?

I like the Robinson kid great size,with some skill,definitely would be interested,wonder what they want in return,a big body forward who can play

 

[RayzorIsDull]

That was probably one of the most complete performances for the Spits in probably 18 months. They kept playing while Ned was stoning them who was the best player on the ice for 50 minutes and capitalized on their chances. Koekkoek has been terrific so far hopefully some contenders will take notice.

The ugly by far was 4400 in the stands which is now the smallest crowd in WFCU history surpassing Erie last Saturday. This is definitely a talking point of interest as well because the 4400 also represents what is quite likely few sth, the organization would never say what that number is but it's clearly below 4400 since it represents tickets sold unless they absolutely got 0 walk-ups tonight. This is a low point for ownership since taking over and it's time Savage and Schwab do what they took over part of the organization for and that's market and get out in the public and talk to people.

 

[OHLTG]

To be fair, they've started new marketing with the giant billboards. You can't go more than a few min without seeing one. I'd recommend lower ticket prices, though, or maybe even TV/radio commercials with the players. Something new and creative.

 

[RayzorIsDull]

Yes, I believe Kuchmey has earned to play in tomorrow's game. He will give us the best chance to win, as he is 2-0 compared to DeKort's 0-2. Looked real good tonight. If DeKort can't handle Sarnia, how will they feel about putting him against a much stronger team tomorrow? Kuch has already faced an offensive-talented team in Erie, so if the Spits give the same effort they gave tonight, they should be ok. Congrats to Ryan Moore on his first goal and Ben Johnson on the hat trick. If there is another trade to be made, I would target Brandon Robinson, forward from NB. Finally got his first point in 7 games this season tonight. Had a decent rookie year, former 1st round pick, late-1995 birthday, NHL draft year. I met him during the Under-17's, real nice kid. Could use a change of scenery, what do you guys think?

It's a nice thought and he sounds intriguing and I know this is nit picky but he's a lh shot. I know you can't turn down talent but the Spits should really be in the market for a rh shot because they only have 3 on the current roster up front. We all know how talented those great Spitfire teams were but they were extremely balanced they had RH shots like Watson, Kassian, Shugg, Ryan, Nemisz but also LH shots Henrique, Hall, Timmins, Wellwood. That's tremendous balance and gives you flexibility.

RH shots they should have interest in
Cook
Baptiste
Davis Brown-definitely a guy that might need a change of scenery
Nosad
Garlent-if there is ever a sell off that's a guy that needs to be a target

 

[RayzorIsDull]

To be fair, they've started new marketing with the giant billboards. You can't go more than a few min without seeing one. I'd recommend lower ticket prices, though, or maybe even TV/radio commercials with the players. Something new and creative.

Where are these billboards though? Billboards is pretty much dinosaur marketing, it can work if location is good but overall it isn't a good form of marketing anymore.

 

[hockeylegend11]

That was probably one of the most complete performances for the Spits in probably 18 months. They kept playing while Ned was stoning them who was the best player on the ice for 50 minutes and capitalized on their chances. Koekkoek has been terrific so far hopefully some contenders will take notice.

The ugly by far was 4400 in the stands which is now the smallest crowd in WFCU history surpassing Erie last Saturday. This is definitely a talking point of interest as well because the 4400 also represents what is quite likely few sth, the organization would never say what that number is but it's clearly below 4400 since it represents tickets sold unless they absolutely got 0 walk-ups tonight. This is a low point for ownership since taking over and it's time Savage and Schwab do what they took over part of the organization for and that's market and get out in the public and talk to people.

Whalers look to be the weakest club in awile,which is why I wonder how some thought they would be a competitive team,they will lucky to make the playoffs with group
Would not surprise me if Curcuruto is dealt,noticed Carrick scored for Wash tonite,say good bye to him
Other then Nedeljkovic not much there really