Confirmed with Link: Oilers sign Ryan Mantha

[Hockey Nightmare]

nice work

I'm actually quite excited by this group of D prospects we have

 

[bobbythebrain]

Reminds me of Cody Franson when he shoots. Only half a wind up

 

[oilinblood]

heard foot speed is a problem.

i hear that alot about Leon Draisaitl.

that kid will never win a foot race.

some poor schmuck will sign him

(6'5", 235lbs......might need a couple of years of speed coaching...
couple years
..oh would you look at that...

 

[John Connor McDavid]

Reminds me of Colton Parayko the way he handles the puck with a bit of confidence.

Parayko BTW didn't enter the league till age 22 after marinating in the AJHL/NCAA/AHL for a bit.

Both have similar size (6'5, 225) - bigger guys tend to take some time to display composure in the NHL.

Give this guy a couple years in the AHL and see what you have.

 

[McSuper]

With him Bear and Benning we look pretty good on the right side moving forward.

Just think 2 years ago you could never have said that . Fans who rip Chia for not making a deadline deal really need to look at his overall work since he came to Edmonton . He is building something special and he isn't going it rush it but he also isn't going to sit on his hands like Mac T and Tamblowe did . Mac T was going to wait for future Norris win J Schultz to solve all the defensive issues . 1 bullet in the gun don't win a war . Chia will bring his gun and wheelbarrow of bullets to the fight

 

[Burnt Biscuits]

Just think 2 years ago you could never have said that . Fans who rip Chia for not making a deadline deal really need to look at his overall work since he came to Edmonton . He is building something special and he isn't going it rush it but he also isn't going to sit on his hands like Mac T and Tamblowe did . Mac T was going to wait for future Norris win J Schultz to solve all the defensive issues . 1 bullet in the gun don't win a war . Chia will bring his gun and wheelbarrow of bullets to the fight

MacT was actually pretty active as GM he made 20 trades over 2 years, whereas Chia made 17 trades over 2 years, Chia's trades just turned out better. Tambellini did sit on his hands he had 26 trades over 5 years, which isn't a lot for how bad we were and most of them weren't of the impactful variety.

 

[oilinblood]

Just think 2 years ago you could never have said that . Fans who rip Chia for not making a deadline deal really need to look at his overall work since he came to Edmonton . He is building something special and he isn't going it rush it but he also isn't going to sit on his hands like Mac T and Tamblowe did . Mac T was going to wait for future Norris win J Schultz to solve all the defensive issues . 1 bullet in the gun don't win a war . Chia will bring his gun and wheelbarrow of bullets to the fight

Not to go completely off topic but even seeing how we could have used a key pick-up to move into the conference finals...

we didnt have our 2nd...

and most of all i like that our young core couldnt defer to someone. i think they will be stronger for it, in the long run.
it was on them
they were all responsible.

 

[Giggleplex]

From the highlights, I see a lot of Brent Burns in him, stylistically. Probably not as good as a skater along with other things, but the way he shoots and how much he shoots (both led their league in shots iirc) reminds me a lot of Burns.

 

[Aceboogie]

 

[Panda Bear]

If you're slow because you have poor skating technique, you improve your technique. If you're slow because you're young and huge, you improve the strength in your core and legs.

It is not common for big kids to be fast skaters when they're 20 and under. For the most part, big kids don't have powerful enough muscles to move their frames around quickly. Smaller kids don't have that issue, which is why you never draft a small kid who's slow but has good skating technique.

 

[McMozesmadness]

Mantha's straight line speed is actually very impressive for his size. He can really burn, when he needs to. His problem really comes with backwards skating and lateral mobility. He has a ton of trouble with speed to the outside.

 

[joestevens29]

Mantha's straight line speed is actually very impressive for his size. He can really burn, when he needs to. His problem really comes with backwards skating and lateral mobility. He has a ton of trouble with speed to the outside.

IMO in those situations you try teach better positioning and stick work. For big guys they might never get that speed that is needed, and while working on your speed your confidence could really take a hit. Instead you work on two skills and hope he can improve on both of them and combined he could be better off than if he became an elite skater.

A guy like Pronger wasn't exactly a good skater, but he knew where to be. This also allowed him to play longer minutes because he didn't use as much energy. Pronger did a lot of coasting in his career, but he rarely ever hurt his team doing this.

work smart not hard

 

[McMozesmadness]

 

[McFlyingV]

Too bad about his vision. There's some nice offensive clips in there. Will be interesting to follow his journey.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

Showed some good ability to get shots through. Besides the vision, looks like he has slow boots.

 

[Tyrolean]

Why are old thread drudged up?

 

[Paralyzer]

Why are old thread drudged up?

So we can piss on your parade. Duh.

 

[harpoon]

Why are old thread drudged up?

Because @McMozesmadness was kind enough to do up some highlight videos for the enjoyment of the board. The correct response is 'thank you'.

 

[McDNicks17]

Has there been any update on his eye?

 

[Fourier]

Because @McMozesmadness was kind enough to do up some highlight videos for the enjoyment of the board. The correct response is 'thank you'.

The bolded part being absolutely key here.

 

[McMozesmadness]

Because @McMozesmadness was kind enough to do up some highlight videos for the enjoyment of the board. The correct response is 'thank you'.

The bolded part being absolutely key here.

Thanks gents. I enjoy making them.

 

[Mr Positive]

He's interesting to me because it looks like we aren't getting a OFD yet again, and maybe this guy is mature enough to contend for a job in camp. I'd say Bear is already ahead of him despite being younger, but you never know. More competition is better anyway.

In general, I think a big success for Chia has been his ability to sign UFA prospects like Mantha. It's also Skinner, Caggiula, Benning, Marody and others. At some point we're going to find a gem this way.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

He's interesting to me because it looks like we aren't getting a OFD yet again, and maybe this guy is mature enough to contend for a job in camp. I'd say Bear is already ahead of him despite being younger, but you never know. More competition is better anyway.

In general, I think a big success for Chia has been his ability to sign UFA prospects like Mantha. It's also Skinner, Caggiula, Benning, Marody and others. At some point we're going to find a gem this way.

Right now his career is up in the air sadly after a blood clot in his eye. I really like the player and hope that he can make it back at some point.