Ottawa 67's 2018-19 Season Thread (Part 4)

[EON]

Continued from: Ottawa 67's 2018-19 Season Thread (Part 3)

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[Bob Barker]

Any insider info on when the games will be? It was speculated on the radio 1 & 2 being Wed Fri, but anyone know after that, or can confirm that?

 

[sec20forever]

was at the 67s office today and they said they would like wed and fri to start but don't know for sure yet.

 

[Bob Barker]

was at the 67s office today and they said they would like wed and fri to start but don't know for sure yet.

Prices are more expensive for Game 2, so seems like they are indeed banking on it. Thanks for the info!

 

[LDN]

Wow what a well built team. You guys will likely only lose on 4 forwards, 1 D and 1 Goalie for next season. Could next season be another go for it year? Also you guys have a great number of assets. Your GM has done a fantastic job

 

[OMG67]

Wow what a well built team. You guys will likely only lose on 4 forwards, 1 D and 1 Goalie for next season. Could next season be another go for it year? Also you guys have a great number of assets. Your GM has done a fantastic job

The problem is the quality we lose. Chmelevski, Maksimovich, Chiodo, Felhaber, Hoefenmayer and DiPietro are big assets to replace from within.

We traded away a lot of picks this past year because Boyd didn't want to sacrifice bodies so it's not like we have a cupboard full of picks to trade.

We will have a solid team but I think a small reboot with a Hoelscher and Bahl trade may be the better option. I think we'd still finish top 4 and win a round.

If we choose to compete for a Championship, I feel the following year would have to include a massive selloff to recoup picks and youth sacrificed to make a run next year.

Of course, that has been discussed at length on this board with many good points made on both sides of that discussion.

 

[LDN]

The problem is the quality we lose. Chmelevski, Maksimovich, Chiodo, Felhaber, Hoefenmayer and DiPietro are big assets to replace from within.

We traded away a lot of picks this past year because Boyd didn't want to sacrifice bodies so it's not like we have a cupboard full of picks to trade.

We will have a solid team but I think a small reboot with a Hoelscher and Bahl trade may be the better option. I think we'd still finish top 4 and win a round.

If we choose to compete for a Championship, I feel the following year would have to include a massive selloff to recoup picks and youth sacrificed to make a run next year.

Of course, that has been discussed at length on this board with many good points made on both sides of that discussion.

Yes that is high quality, but still look at who returns and what that added year of experience will do for them. I thought you guys were pretty flush with assets

 

[OMG67]

Yes that is high quality, but still look at who returns and what that added year of experience will do for them. I thought you guys were pretty flush with assets

I think we have four 2nds to trade plus about the same in 3rds. We chewed through a lot acquiring DiPietro, Maksimovich and Chiodo while not giving away any roster players.

Rossi, Hoelscher and Keating are back. Bitten, Clarke and Quinn should push forward with more ice time. Outside that? Who knows. Tolnai has been ok for a 16 year old but he hasn't shown enough to be considered a go to guy.

I forgot, we also lose Clark.

The problem is if we make a push next year, we lose a lot of defence as well as more forwards. We won't be able to acquire more than two players without trading young skaters so it would look pretty bleak the following year with no 2nds or 3rds for the next three drafts.

 

[Tarantula]

Question, how much credit do you gibe Boyd for building this team? He has been there 2 years now, how much was in place before he got there?

 

[ETA 2000 Fan]

Question, how much credit do you gibe Boyd for building this team? He has been there 2 years now, how much was in place before he got there?

Boyd was left a better than decent base of bodies and picks from Brown/Higgins and, IMHO, he has done a good job of adding/drafting.

 

[OMG67]

Boyd was left a better than decent base of bodies and picks from Brown/Higgins and, IMHO, he has done a good job of adding/drafting.

Agreed.

Brown and Higgins left a very solid base from which to contend. The Konecny deal that netted a bunch of picks plus Chmelevski was the key trade. There were also a few other seller moves made by that management team that netted a bunch of picks that allowed Boyd to toss around picks for Maksimovich, Chiodo, and DiPietro.

Whether Boyd has drafted well is yet to be fully realized. I still don’t like the Clarke pick. Tolnai may turn out ok but the jury is still out on him. That would suggest both of the 1st rounders are somewhat questionable. The deeper picks seem to have turned out pretty good and the use of two NCAA bound players in trades was a good result as well.

Overall, I like what Boyd has done. It also looks like the relationship between him and Tourigny is pretty good too. That is important.

The bottom line is Brown did what he needed to do with respect to selling assets at the right time and Boyd used those assets quite well. IF that is the measuring stick, and I believe that should be the measuring stick, I think the management transition was really good. LEt’s hope it remains in place for many years to come.

The tough decisions will be starting this offseason. Buy and contend or sell and reboot. To me, that is where the judgement will come into play more so than inheriting a solid nucleus of players and picks and utilizing them wisely.

 

[ecraigs]

My feeling is that our handling of key assets like overage players and imports has improved. Rossi was an inspired pick and Okhotyuk has improved steadily. Adding the two overage players at the deadline and then putting Hoelscher in the middle has been a very good decision.

In prior years, the coaches and GM seemed to consider overage players to be filler. I am very glad that that has changed.

 

[ETA 2000 Fan]

The Rossi pick/signing is all on Jan Egert. Not sure if Boyd is responsible for adding Egert or not.

 

[sec20forever]

4 - 0 storm 3rd period

 

[BarberPole9]

The Rossi pick/signing is all on Jan Egert. Not sure if Boyd is responsible for adding Egert or not.

Jan Egert and James Boyd have been working together since their days in Mississauga. I think that this is the first year that they had control of the draft, as Pat Higgins ran the previous drafts. From everything that I've heard, as of right now this draft looks like a home run to many experts:

TheScout.ca said that they thought that Ottawa had the best draft in the league: TheScout.ca - OHL Draft Rankings - Ottawa 67's Top 10 Prospects

Neutral Zone ranked Sirizzotti, Beck and Matier at 15, 18 and 21 for the draft in a ranking that included the Americans who fell due to college commitments.

Neutral Zone‏ @_Neutral_Zone 5h5 hours ago
More
Neutral Zone Retweeted Brenden Sirizzotti
4.5

prospect Brenden Sirizzotti signs with @Ottawa67sHockey. Our #15 ranked OHL Draft prospect; a pure goal scorer w/ a quick release. Poised w/ the puck, smooth hands and savvy playmaking with pace. Shifty.

https://www.neutralzone.net/mens/player/brenden-sirizzotti-40179/ …

Neutral Zone‏ @_Neutral_Zone 5h5 hours ago
More
Neutral Zone Retweeted Jack Beck
4.5

prospect Jack Beck signs with @Ottawa67sHockey. A high hockey IQ, small, nifty playmaker with quick hands and feet and ability to make opponents miss in open ice. Detailed and dynamic. Our #18 ranked OHL Draft prospect.

Neutral Zone‏ @_Neutral_Zone 5h5 hours ago
More
Neutral Zone Retweeted Jack Matier
4.25

prospect Jack Matier signs with @Ottawa67sHockey. Our #21 ranked OHL Draft prospect went 21st overall. Tall, mobile, puck moving defenseman who can lead rushes up ice, quarterback the power play and break up passes with his reach. High upside.

https://www.neutralzone.net/mens/player/jack-matier-40929/ …

 

[sec20forever]

after 1 period storm lead 1-0

 

[sec20forever]

3-0 storm after 2 looks like game 7 tomorow

 

[OMG67]

There are two common themes right now:

1> Ottawa is an elite team and should roll through whomever comes out of the West
2> Ottawa is overrated and hasn’t had to play an elite team yet in the playoffs. Their 12-0 record is relatively meaningless. The Elite goalies they roughed up just played average

I find these two stances interesting. By many, Ottawa hasn’t really gotten any credit for their outstanding year. A lot of that has to do with not having any prominent players. Ottawa’s best players don’t really get much attention. Rossi didn’t finish top 3 in Rookie balloting. Hoefenmayer got relatively little attention for his great year. Andree was an afterthought. Even DiPietro hasn’t really gained much credibility. Neither goalie finished top 3 in voting either. I don’t think Ottawa will win any major awards that are voted on. It will be interesting to see Coach of the Year honours. Felhaber should win OA honours or at least finish top 3 but we’ll see.

 

[sirius67fan]

There are two common themes right now:

1> Ottawa is an elite team and should roll through whomever comes out of the West
2> Ottawa is overrated and hasn’t had to play an elite team yet in the playoffs. Their 12-0 record is relatively meaningless. The Elite goalies they roughed up just played average

I find these two stances interesting. By many, Ottawa hasn’t really gotten any credit for their outstanding year. A lot of that has to do with not having any prominent players. Ottawa’s best players don’t really get much attention. Rossi didn’t finish top 3 in Rookie balloting. Hoefenmayer got relatively little attention for his great year. Andree was an afterthought. Even DiPietro hasn’t really gained much credibility. Neither goalie finished top 3 in voting either. I don’t think Ottawa will win any major awards that are voted on. It will be interesting to see Coach of the Year honours. Felhaber should win OA honours or at least finish top 3 but we’ll see.

Interesting question. Are we elite? Tell you in about 2 weeks! One thing I can tell you is we are the class of the east and a very good team. As always whether we play Guelph or Saginaw I always have trouble gaging the western teams as we see them 2×/year and then the trade deadline happens which shakes things up. So since the final in 2005/2006?, where we had a great team with that big line of Locke/Foy/Shephard and playing Kitchener. I was sure we'd win but even though we had the best line Kitchener's depth killed us. So At this point I have trouble analizing the final but I was quite confident about winning the east.. I do think however we will be very hard to beat

 

[Bob Barker]

One thing is for sure, if it's the Storm and the 67s get out to a series lead early, they need to keep their foot on the gas and finish them off. Guelph has been the comeback kids to the max these last two rounds!

 

[dirty12]

There are two common themes right now:

1> Ottawa is an elite team and should roll through whomever comes out of the West
2> Ottawa is overrated and hasn’t had to play an elite team yet in the playoffs. Their 12-0 record is relatively meaningless. The Elite goalies they roughed up just played average

I find these two stances interesting. By many, Ottawa hasn’t really gotten any credit for their outstanding year. A lot of that has to do with not having any prominent players. Ottawa’s best players don’t really get much attention. Rossi didn’t finish top 3 in Rookie balloting. Hoefenmayer got relatively little attention for his great year. Andree was an afterthought. Even DiPietro hasn’t really gained much credibility. Neither goalie finished top 3 in voting either. I don’t think Ottawa will win any major awards that are voted on. It will be interesting to see Coach of the Year honours. Felhaber should win OA honours or at least finish top 3 but we’ll see.

Pretty sure Brazeau has already been honoured with outstanding OA player of the year. Tourigny should be unanimous coach of the year, imo. Just my opinion; I don’t think the ‘67s are more talented than Icedogs, Gens, Spirit, or Storm. They just consistently play better as a team, credit Tourigny

 

[ETA 2000 Fan]

Pretty sure Brazeau has already been honoured with outstanding OA player of the year. Tourigny should be unanimous coach of the year, imo. Just my opinion; I don’t think the ‘67s are more talented than Icedogs, Gens, Spirit, or Storm. They just consistently play better as a team, credit Tourigny

Correct. Brazeau was announced as OA POTY on April 23rd:

Battalion’s Justin Brazeau named OHL’s Overage Player of the Year – Ontario Hockey League

 

[OMG67]

One thing is for sure, if it's the Storm and the 67s get out to a series lead early, they need to keep their foot on the gas and finish them off. Guelph has been the comeback kids to the max these last two rounds!

I don't think either team plays consistently sound defence. Popovich is a poor goalie. I think both teams can play run and gun with Ottawa but I don't see the depth on either team Ottawa has, especially on the back end.

Ottawa is 12-0. Only a couple of the games were close. Some played close through two periods but Ottawa's depth and conditioning swayed that balance.

Ottawa has consistently been the class of the league. For some reason, maybe because they are an Eastern team, have not gotten much credit. Heck, Niagara was getting more credit. Weird.

Anyway, IMO Ottawa will go into the Final as the favourite. This isn't like 2003 when we faced Kitchener. Mike Richards was a great player, more of a playoff guy than Locke and Foy were. Although, no disrespect to Locke, he was a good playoff performer. That team had to battle to get to the Final, especially against St Mike's.

Personally, I feel the league not having that super elite team or handful of elite teams has diminished the shine on Ottawa. It is almost like because the other teams aren't great, Ottawa is somehow just a good team taking advantage. It is weird.

 

[dirty12]

I don't think either team plays consistently sound defence. Popovich is a poor goalie. I think both teams can play run and gun with Ottawa but I don't see the depth on either team Ottawa has, especially on the back end.

Ottawa is 12-0. Only a couple of the games were close. Some played close through two periods but Ottawa's depth and conditioning swayed that balance.

Ottawa has consistently been the class of the league. For some reason, maybe because they are an Eastern team, have not gotten much credit. Heck, Niagara was getting more credit. Weird.

Anyway, IMO Ottawa will go into the Final as the favourite. This isn't like 2003 when we faced Kitchener. Mike Richards was a great player, more of a playoff guy than Locke and Foy were. Although, no disrespect to Locke, he was a good playoff performer. That team had to battle to get to the Final, especially against St Mike's.

Personally, I feel the league not having that super elite team or handful of elite teams has diminished the shine on Ottawa. It is almost like because the other teams aren't great, Ottawa is somehow just a good team taking advantage. It is weird.

I don’t disagree with the entire post, mostly just the depth on D part.
Samorukov-Durzi
Phillips-Gordeev
Hanley-Lalonde
Chayka
I would take Guelph’s D over the ‘67s, (right now)
Popovich has not performed like a poor goalie. He has a 0.901 SV% so far vs Rangers, Knights, & Spirit. Those teams have better shooters overall than DiPietro (0.913) has faced in Bulldogs, Wolves, & Gens.

 

[OMG67]

I don’t disagree with the entire post, mostly just the depth on D part.
Samorukov-Durzi
Phillips-Gordeev
Hanley-Lalonde
Chayka
I would take Guelph’s D over the ‘67s, (right now)
Popovich has not performed like a poor goalie. He has a 0.901 SV% so far vs Rangers, Knights, & Spirit. Those teams have better shooters overall than DiPietro (0.913) has faced in Bulldogs, Wolves, & Gens.

Take a look at the goals going in on Popovich. Don’t look at the numbers. Numbers lie in the playoffs with minimal sample sizes.

On top of that, you have also fallen into the trap of looking at individual names. The reality is Ottawa’s defence is better even without the names and it shows on the scoreboard and in overall goals against. IF I am wrong, then the difference simply sits in goal where they are giving up .75 more goals per game than Ottawa through the regular season. Wither way, that is a big gap.