Ottawa 67's 2018-19 Season Thread

[ETA 2000 Fan]

IF I am being picky, a LW with some size and scoring would be ideal. Also a prototypical #1 D-Man would be outstanding. Imagine that guy, whomever he is, beside Hoefenmeyer. Then Bahl sitting in the #3 or vice versa with Hoef?

could be your guy?

 

[ETA 2000 Fan]

Ottawa 67's 2018 training camp opens Monday - Ottawa 67s

 

[sirius67fan]

I am expecting Okytuk to be huge this year. I think the other D that will be at NHL camps will also be better and could fill the void.

As to a LW I agree but at what cost.

To me, before they even think of things like that they need to solve the goaltending. Both the LW and #1 D are nice to have and not a must.

could be your guy?

Doubt it

 

[hockeynorth]

Sudbury has a big logjam on LW, and many suspect Levin may be on the outside looking in. Saginaw too is supposedly shopping some wingers.

 

[sirius67fan]

If we are truely looking at a championship team, we may need that first pairing D-Man that can put up 50+ points. None of Hoefenmayer, Bahl nor Okhotyuk are prototypical #1 guys. Without that true quarterback for the power play, we won’t score enough on those chances to make a significant enough impact at the elite level against other elite teams. You need to make them pay on the PP.

A guy like Robertson, who may be a bottom pairing guy but a PP QB may even work but he would really need to start asserting himself.

Not sure I agree, sure a 50 pt D would be nice. However I really don't see this as a major need, those are 1- number one goalie and 2- top 6 left wing/center. Imo Hoef can easily be that guy as a 19 y.o. If he plays like he did in the playoffs ( albeit short playoff) he can be that guy. Also do not discount these guys are all 1 year holder. I expect a big jump from Okhotiuk in particular from an offensive point of view. Add in Robertson and don't forget Peric...we'll be fine. Invest in our two biggest needs.

 

[OMG67]

Not sure I agree, sure a 50 pt D would be nice. However I really don't see this as a major need, those are 1- number one goalie and 2- top 6 left wing/center. Imo Hoef can easily be that guy as a 19 y.o. If he plays like he did in the playoffs ( albeit short playoff) he can be that guy. Also do not discount these guys are all 1 year holder. I expect a big jump from Okhotiuk in particular from an offensive point of view. Add in Robertson and don't forget Peric...we'll be fine. Invest in our two biggest needs.

By the time the 2nd half of the season rolls around, one of Rossi or Tolnai will shift from 4th centre to wing in a more significant role. As much as I’d like a strong scoring winger, I think we will be fine either way.

Don’t discount the value of a pure Power Play QB. That is something that can punish the opposition to the point they are afraid to take penalties and it opens the ice up a little 5 on 5. As much as I like most of our defense, not one of them really has that in them. If we have an opportunity to acquire one that can be a pure PP QB, we really need to look at it especially if it is an OA.

Goaltending is still far and away the priority. But, keep in mind, my response was more to the question of what the team needs and it was more me just being greedy...

 

[sirius67fan]

Sudbury has a big logjam on LW, and many suspect Levin may be on the outside looking in. Saginaw too is supposedly shopping some wingers.

I would have a long look at Levin especially he might have OA potential. Wonder what he would cost. Two seconds, two thirds and conditionnal second?

 

[ETA 2000 Fan]

I would have a long look at Levin especially he might have OA potential. Wonder what he would cost. Two seconds, two thirds and conditionnal second?

Have you watched Levin? Not much play 'inside the dots'. There's a reason the former #1 overall hasn't been drafted.

 

[sirius67fan]

Have you watched Levin? Not much play 'inside the dots'. There's a reason the former #1 overall hasn't been drafted.

Frankly haven't seen him much, his skating stood out imo. I know he's been a disappointment but he's had injuries and in fairness the wolves have not been a very good team. Still he's a former #1overall so there is talent there. At nineteen on a stronger team , with good coaching I think he's worth the risk at the right price. Worse case scenario he's still our second best left wing after Keating unless maybe Bitten surges in year two.

 

[OMG67]

Frankly haven't seen him much, his skating stood out imo. I know he's been a disappointment but he's had injuries and in fairness the wolves have not been a very good team. Still he's a former #1overall so there is talent there. At nineteen on a stronger team , with good coaching I think he's worth the risk at the right price. Worse case scenario he's still our second best left wing after Keating unless maybe Bitten surges in year two.

There’s probably cheaper OA options that would be more suitable. Like ETA said, he’s more of a perimeter player. We need a bigger body to crash the net and create a little havoc. That is the one element missing up front. That guy as an OA that puts up somewhere around 55 points wouldn’t be more than a 2nd and 3rd....maybe two 2nds.

I get the option of Levin as an OA next year BUT I think we need to look at what is best this year in a push. Worry about next year, next year.

 

[beastintheeast]

The D can usually be found at the deadline. The goalie as you have said not so much. Dipietro will be let go fact. I think he is going to fall into the same boat that Weekes did when Killer got him. Remember Windsor drafted and signed a Euro goalie. They usually have a must play line in their contract. There is no way the Canucks will send Dipeitro back to sit on the bench or share ice time.
I think that a trade of picks and a player with a PTBNL would be the right deal for him. SSM still has a strong team so they will be going for it.

Not sure if Rossi will be moved to the wing. I imagine there is something in the contract that may stop that if the NHL has him highly ranked at center.

No matter what it should be an interesting few months.

 

[Kenny Chu]

Frankly haven't seen him much, his skating stood out imo. I know he's been a disappointment but he's had injuries and in fairness the wolves have not been a very good team. Still he's a former #1overall so there is talent there. At nineteen on a stronger team , with good coaching I think he's worth the risk at the right price. Worse case scenario he's still our second best left wing after Keating unless maybe Bitten surges in year two.

Levin to me was not a standout in minor midget let alone #1 overall draft choice. I remember the draft boards at that time and they were doing a great sales job on Levin. But in the end it doesnt matter who your agent is it all depends on your game play, etc.

 

[Hcokeydad64]

I agree completely. The OHL draft ranks players poorly in my opinion. I won't use names but many of the kids that went in this years first round are not great players. QB is clearly a hockey player. But, I believe the players after that included in the first round will not prove to be the best players in two years time. The stats play too big of a role in choosing these kids.
The players true colours become evident in the OHL. I think many teams and fans following their teams picks are going to be surprised by the play of players outside of the first round.

 

[beastintheeast]

I agree completely. The OHL draft ranks players poorly in my opinion. I won't use names but many of the kids that went in this years first round are not great players. QB is clearly a hockey player. But, I believe the players after that included in the first round will not prove to be the best players in two years time. The stats play too big of a role in choosing these kids.
The players true colours become evident in the OHL. I think many teams and fans following their teams picks are going to be surprised by the play of players outside of the first round.

A lot of kids that are drafted in the first round are players that may not be NHL ready but will be great OHL players. If we look at Ottawa, for instance, one name that comes to mind is Tessier. There have also been others that were high draft picks because of their skill level although they may have lacked what was necessary to go to the NHL.

 

[Kenny Chu]

A lot of kids that are drafted in the first round are players that may not be NHL ready but will be great OHL players. If we look at Ottawa, for instance, one name that comes to mind is Tessier. There have also been others that were high draft picks because of their skill level although they may have lacked what was necessary to go to the NHL.

The problem is that the parents and the systems in minor hockey especially the G build super teams climaxing in minor midget for the draft. Just about every kid on such teams "looks good" when such teams lose one game all years, etc. Conversely if you are not in the "in" and your stuck on a bottom team, and your kid has ability its harder to get noticed when your playing on such a weak team. There are so many players drafted but not playing now while there are players not drafted still playing and making progress in their game. The problem is and we experienced it as a family going through the draft, the scouts identify players but they make no attempt to determine whats in the kid's heart before drafting them. It seems kids with NHL pedigree get an automatic pass no matter what the ability.

 

[Hcokeydad64]

Well I wasn't prepared to go that far. I was just pointing out that kids that play on strong teams in weak leagues tend to be drafted higher than kids playing on weaker teams in stronger leagues. In my opinion, the players are better assessed on their abilities on the ice. Their skills, work ethic, hockey sense, etc. And, having had my own kid play with and against most of the players drafted in the first two rounds, it appears the scouts have relied on something other than what should have been important. A good case in point is the David Levin kid that went first overall in the OHL and then I dont think he was even drafted this past June? I watched the highlight videos leading up to the OHL draft and I did not see elite level skills that were above many of the kids drafted later than Levin. Nice enough kid but....?

 

[ETA 2000 Fan]

 

[OMG67]

Well I wasn't prepared to go that far. I was just pointing out that kids that play on strong teams in weak leagues tend to be drafted higher than kids playing on weaker teams in stronger leagues. In my opinion, the players are better assessed on their abilities on the ice. Their skills, work ethic, hockey sense, etc. And, having had my own kid play with and against most of the players drafted in the first two rounds, it appears the scouts have relied on something other than what should have been important. A good case in point is the David Levin kid that went first overall in the OHL and then I dont think he was even drafted this past June? I watched the highlight videos leading up to the OHL draft and I did not see elite level skills that were above many of the kids drafted later than Levin. Nice enough kid but....?

We also need to consider the Sudbury situation. I am sure there were players ranked ahead of him but wouldn’t report to Sudbury. It also was far from an outstanding draft depth wise. There weren’t many impact 2nd and 3rd rounders either. Generally speaking, the top 23 picks, capped by DiPietro at #23, are the top players picked in that draft. There are a few solid players picked outside 23rd for sure, as there always are deep picks that make a significant impact.

Back to the topic at hand, Levin is a perimeter player. I don’t think he is the right fit. We need someone who can crash the net and take advantage of the potential high rate of puck possession we should have this year.

 

[OMG67]

I have to admit, not seeing Sudbury on a regular basis, it is tough for me to use anything but numbers to assess the possibility.

For me, you go after a kid like McGrath if you think you are looking seriously at DiPietro after the WJHC. See what you have in him from the start through Christmas etc. Upgrade if necessary.

His stats weren’t horrible two seasons ago when the Wolves were an “ok” team. Of course, the Wolves were horrible last year so throw his stats out the window for that wash of a season.

I doubt the cost would be much depending if there are multiple suitors. Maybe a 3rd or 4th round pick.

 

[OMG67]

A lot of kids that are drafted in the first round are players that may not be NHL ready but will be great OHL players. If we look at Ottawa, for instance, one name that comes to mind is Tessier. There have also been others that were high draft picks because of their skill level although they may have lacked what was necessary to go to the NHL.

The OHL scout’s job isn’t to project NHL talent. It is to project OHL talent. The 67’s scouts seemed to always be decent in this area because Killer would zero in on skating first. If you can’t skate, you can’t play. Simple as that. If you can skate, you can build some sort of game around that with skill development. Elite players will obviously be able to handle the puck and make plays at a high rate of speed.

As was mentioned by Kenny Chu, a kids heart is what matters second after skating. There needs to be a certain drive to continue to excel through the higher levels when players are funneled into the higher leagues. Dan Tessier had that. I believe he was a 5th round pick but very undersized.

 

[Hcokeydad64]

Excellent point! And frankly not something I considered. The OHL Scout's job is to project OHL talent. It will be interesting now to see if the kids picked in the first round fair better than the kids that were picked in later rounds. I still think there will plenty of surprises in the current draft.

 

[MoWanchuk1]

The OHL scout’s job isn’t to project NHL talent. It is to project OHL talent. The 67’s scouts seemed to always be decent in this area because Killer would zero in on skating first. If you can’t skate, you can’t play. Simple as that. If you can skate, you can build some sort of game around that with skill development. Elite players will obviously be able to handle the puck and make plays at a high rate of speed.

As was mentioned by Kenny Chu, a kids heart is what matters second after skating. There needs to be a certain drive to continue to excel through the higher levels when players are funneled into the higher leagues. Dan Tessier had that. I believe he was a 5th round pick but very undersized.

The Strome boys were all bad skaters in MM and all turned out darn good lol but they are exceptions for sure skating, especially today is crucial it’s allowing smaller d to make a difference fewer hits and in and out speed have create a niche for them

 

[OMG67]

Excellent point! And frankly not something I considered. The OHL Scout's job is to project OHL talent. It will be interesting now to see if the kids picked in the first round fair better than the kids that were picked in later rounds. I still think there will plenty of surprises in the current draft.

By all accounts, the current draft was very deep. Many of the people paid to know things stated they felt after the top 10 picks, the next 30-40 picks would be similar because of the depth of draft. Based on that it would not surprise me in the least that some 3rd round picks jump in and make a splash in the League.

 

[OMG67]

The Strome boys were all bad skaters in MM and all turned out darn good lol but they are exceptions for sure skating, especially today is crucial it’s allowing smaller d to make a difference fewer hits and in and out speed have create a niche for them

Keep in mind skating isn't just speed. It is strength of balance (keeping a strong centre of gravity) as well as lateral movement.

That lateral movement is key, especially for D-Men. So even if their north-south skating (which is most apparent for the average fan) is not particularly great, the scout is looking for technical ability from a development perspective.

 

[Kenny Chu]

Keep in mind skating isn't just speed. It is strength of balance (keeping a strong centre of gravity) as well as lateral movement.

That lateral movement is key, especially for D-Men. So even if their north-south skating (which is most apparent for the average fan) is not particularly great, the scout is looking for technical ability from a development perspective.

I haven't been around very long, but OMC67 should be a GM in waiting for the OHL!! You sir know what your taking about!!