Ottawa 67's 2019-20 Season Thread (Part 2)

[mianjo]

67's win 5-2

1ST 1:04 #23 Marco Rossi (28) scores. Assists: #9 Austen Keating

1ST 14:18#11 Adam Varga (6) scores. Assists: #9 Austen KeatingShort Handed

2ND 18:29 #9 Austen Keating (21) scores. Assists: #2 Noel Hoefenmayer, #25 Daylon Groulx


3RD 13:41 #22 Jack Quinn (36) scores. Assists: #17 Mitchell Hoelscher
3RD 18:27 #22 Jack Quinn (37) scores. Assists: #23 Marco RossiEmpty Net

 

[BigHitter67]

Late season showdown between leagues top two scorers - and top ranked prospects - turned into bit of a dud. Some flashes but neither Perfetti or Rossi had their A game .
On topic of Rossi.. he’s definitely not playing like we’ve seen for most the season . Dictating the play with his skating and that dominant puck possession just isn’t there right now...

 

[beastintheeast]

If Andree comes back for an OA year will he be the new DiPietro in that the 67s will need to trade him. Cranley looks good and as has been said is not going to be satisfied being a back up especially if he is drafted.

 

[67hockeyfan]

Anybody know why Tolnai was out this weekend?

Tolnai is sick.

 

[sirius67fan]

Tolnai is sick.

thanks, glad he's not injured and hopefully he's back soon. I have liked him as our third line center recently, has been solid defensively and has shown flashes offensively.

 

[General Zodd]

Dictating the play with his skating and that dominant puck possession just isn’t there right now...

Saw him play in the Dirty S'hwa last week. He wasn't great that game either.

 

[OMG67]

Late season showdown between leagues top two scorers - and top ranked prospects - turned into bit of a dud. Some flashes but neither Perfetti or Rossi had their A game .
On topic of Rossi.. he’s definitely not playing like we’ve seen for most the season . Dictating the play with his skating and that dominant puck possession just isn’t there right now...

Word of warning. Be prepared to have season stats thrown at you when critiquing Rossi's recent play. He's an untouchable for criticism on this thread.

It doesn't matter that he hasn't been anywhere near as effective as we've seen. He has scored a point per game through the last three weeks, ya know.....

 

[beastintheeast]

Speaking of season stats.

A lot was made about this teams lack of scoring and defence compared to last year.

I think you should all take a look this team is on track to surpass everything that last years supposed better lineup did.

34 points will put them ahead of points in a season last year
90 goals will tie last year
15 wins will put them tied with last year.

 

[SidSixpointSeven]

Was there today and a few observations from the game:

Saginaw is big, fast and very hard to knock off the puck (they remind me a little bit of Guelph last year) - they deserved a much better fate today as the outplayed Ottawa for long stretches and just couldn't capitalize on their chances. 67's on the other hand were very opportunistic, they never really sustained any offensive pressure and the Spirit seemed to bottle them up through the neutral zone. Lots of giveaways and some sloppy play defensively.

Cole Perfetti is worth the price of admission, every time he had the puck on his stick, he made things happen. Kevin Bahl laid one of the biggest (and cleanest) hits I've seen in a while. Credit to Saginaw for not jumping him after the play (which seems to be the norm after every big hit) - maybe because it was Kevin Bahl. Adam Varga is FAST - he outskated a Saginaw defender who had several strides on him to get to Keating's pass for the shortie. Speaking of Keating, that shot on his third goal was crazy good.

Probably one the worst refereed games I've seen in a while (there was clearly no interference on Hof's goal) and there were weak calls on both sides which really hurt the flow and tempo of the game.

Overall, not a Rembrandt, but some strong efforts and a win is a win. On to Niagara Thursday night - always a tough building to play in and the dogs will be looking for some payback for Saturday.

 

[ecraigs]

Was there today and a few observations from the game:

Saginaw is big, fast and very hard to knock off the puck (they remind me a little bit of Guelph last year) - they deserved a much better fate today as the outplayed Ottawa for long stretches and just couldn't capitalize on their chances. 67's on the other hand were very opportunistic, they never really sustained any offensive pressure and the Spirit seemed to bottle them up through the neutral zone. Lots of giveaways and some sloppy play defensively.

Cole Perfetti is worth the price of admission, every time he had the puck on his stick, he made things happen. Kevin Bahl laid one of the biggest (and cleanest) hits I've seen in a while. Credit to Saginaw for not jumping him after the play (which seems to be the norm after every big hit) - maybe because it was Kevin Bahl. Adam Varga is FAST - he outskated a Saginaw defender who had several strides on him to get to Keating's pass for the shortie. Speaking of Keating, that shot on his third goal was crazy good.

Probably one the worst refereed games I've seen in a while (there was clearly no interference on Hof's goal) and there were weak calls on both sides which really hurt the flow and tempo of the game.

Overall, not a Rembrandt, but some strong efforts and a win is a win. On to Niagara Thursday night - always a tough building to play in and the dogs will be looking for some payback for Saturday.

This was my impression as well, although Spirit lacks the solid defence that Guelph acquired. Both teams make some alarming mistakes in their own end. That suits Ottawa, which capitalized several times and got great goaltending from Andree. Ottawa likes to counter-punch and force the other guy to make fast plays in small areas of the ice. Perfetti was as advertised, although he seems to fall down a lot. When you have weak officiating, you may as well use it. The major problem with the two referees was the inconsistency. What wasn't hooking in the first was called in the second, then ignored in the third. The goalie interference call was weak. I quite enjoyed the game and a playoff series between these two would be great, no matter the outcome. However, the OHL would have to assign the A team, not the C team.

 

[analyser]

Speaking of season stats.

A lot was made about this teams lack of scoring and defence compared to last year.

I think you should all take a look this team is on track to surpass everything that last years supposed better lineup did.

34 points will put them ahead of points in a season last year
90 goals will tie last year
15 wins will put them tied with last year.

I believe last year's team talent was more equally distributed. The 3rd line was much better, the defence was more experienced and DiPietro was playing really well when he got injured. (Wilson and Peric will be missed come playoff time)

This year almost all scoring comes from the top 2 lines and we have couple of rookie D who will find it difficult in the playoffs. Teams will target these young D men come playoff time.

 

[OMG67]

I believe last year's team talent was more equally distributed. The 3rd line was much better, the defence was more experienced and DiPietro was playing really well when he got injured. (Wilson and Peric will be missed come playoff time)

This year almost all scoring comes from the top 2 lines and we have couple of rookie D who will find it difficult in the playoffs. Teams will target these young D men come playoff time.

I agree. I'd say this years defence is better on the top end but, as you say, not as great when fully distributed.

I hesitate to make a comparison of this years team to last from the perspective of which one is better. I truely think last years team is far superior to this year but there are some factors that muddy that water greatly.

I would say there isn't a team in the West this year that is as good as Guelph was last year.

I think we may be just as good positioned this year as last to win a Championship. I am sort of happy no team did anywhere near what Guelph did last year. That may be the biggest factor in our success this year.

We did get beaten handily by Peterborough and were manhandled quite a bit yesterday. Both teams were significantly bigger and can carry speed. It caused the 67s a lot of trouble.

We'll see how that plays out in a 7 game series.

 

[TracyMcGrady]

The Athletic's Scott Wheeler wrote a piece about the New Jersey Devils prospects and naturally all 4 Ottawa 67's players (Bahl, Okhotyuk, Clarke and Hoelscher) were profiled.

Wheeler's 2020 NHL prospect pool rankings: No. 17 New Jersey...

It's behind a paywall so I won't transcribe all the content here, but there were some notable things written about Okhotyuk that I feel should be highlighted.

...in 67’s training camp during a mini 3-on-3 tournament, he blocked a shot, cleanly snapping his index finger and requiring surgery.

When we spoke, it was still splinted and gnarly months later, swollen and purple as he practised and played through games on and off. It will never be fully right, like it was before. He can still demonstrate how it looked and I promise you it didn’t look good.

“It still looks bad … and he finished the tournament! He did not stop! He played three or four more games with a broken finger, never complained,” recalled Tourigny.

...Though Okhotyuk has 11 points in 19 games this season, Boyd insists he’s more than his numbers.

“Stats are not an accurate reflection of what he brings to a team or to the game. His leadership role with Team Russia is probably more indicative of that. He’s a warrior in a game where it’s harder and harder to find those types of players,’ Boyd said.

“He blocks shots, he plays hard and as the game goes along the opponent becomes less and less inclined to go into the corner with him. He plays clean but he leans with his shoulder and he wins those puck battles. In a playoff series, he’s extremely valuable. He’s a super valuable defensive defender that loves playing against the other team’s top lines.”

 

[The Big Swede13]

Word of warning. Be prepared to have season stats thrown at you when critiquing Rossi's recent play. He's an untouchable for criticism on this thread.

It doesn't matter that he hasn't been anywhere near as effective as we've seen. He has scored a point per game through the last three weeks, ya know.....

I’ve been to every home game since the start of december plus saw about 5-7 games earlier in the season and I can definately say Rossi is not as dominant in the last two weeks. He’s been losing control of the puck lately especially on the PP something he usually rarely does. Some of that can be attributed to missing Keating for a few games but the first line has been outplayed by the 2nd line by a fair bit in the last few weeks. I’m worried about the secondary scoring once the playoffs rolls around especially if we meet a big team like Saginaw who probably deserved a better fate yesterday. I’m still fairly confident that we have the best team in the O considering were beating good teams with our B game.

 

[Larionov]

Keep in mind that Clarke is likely back for the playoffs. That's a huge boost to the top six forward group. (TBH, they could probably sit him for round one if need be and it would be fine.)

 

[67hockeyfan]

If Andree comes back for an OA year will he be the new DiPietro in that the 67s will need to trade him. Cranley looks good and as has been said is not going to be satisfied being a back up especially if he is drafted.

Andree is unlikely to be wearing barber poles next season. There is an outside chance that he'll land a pro contract somewhere (especially if he keeps up his current numbers) and, if he does return as an OA, the 67's would get a boatload of picks/prospects by trading him to a contender (similar to DiPietro last year). Cranley will be given the reins next year. That would also give the 67's the opportunity to start grooming another tender (Donoso, 2020 draft pick, import, etc.) for the future.

 

[OMG67]

Andree is unlikely to be wearing barber poles next season. There is an outside chance that he'll land a pro contract somewhere (especially if he keeps up his current numbers) and, if he does return as an OA, the 67's would get a boatload of picks/prospects by trading him to a contender (similar to DiPietro last year). Cranley will be given the reins next year. That would also give the 67's the opportunity to start grooming another tender (Donoso, 2020 draft pick, import, etc.) for the future.

I really hate saying things like ZERO chance but it has to be pretty close for Andree. He is very small and not built for a professional game. No one is going to give him an NHL Contract so he’s probably looking at an ECHL deal. He’d be stupid to sign that deal and roll the dice. He’s way better off sticking around for an OA year and going CIS, get an education and then look at Pro offers.

We’ve seen countless goalies that are just as good as he’s been never get a solid whiff of Professional hockey. I just cannot see it for him. Like I say, never say never because it only takes one guy in a position of power to prove me wrong and sign him but it is a huge long shot. Forwards are getting smaller but goalies are getting bigger.

 

[OMG67]

Keep in mind that Clarke is likely back for the playoffs. That's a huge boost to the top six forward group. (TBH, they could probably sit him for round one if need be and it would be fine.)

Word is he may be back with as much as 4 weeks left in the season so a good 10-12 games before the playoffs.

It will be great to get him back but just remember he ended up cruising the 4th line last year in the playoffs because his overall play lacked finesse. HE will help the Powerplay and will help stretch out the lines but if I am being honest, I would keep Beck on the 2nd line and shuttle Clarke down to the 3rd line with Tolnai and see if they can spark some 5 on 5 offence from that line.

 

[67hockeyfan]

I really hate saying things like ZERO chance but it has to be pretty close for Andree. He is very small and not built for a professional game. No one is going to give him an NHL Contract so he’s probably looking at an ECHL deal. He’d be stupid to sign that deal and roll the dice. He’s way better off sticking around for an OA year and going CIS, get an education and then look at Pro offers.

We’ve seen countless goalies that are just as good as he’s been never get a solid whiff of Professional hockey. I just cannot see it for him. Like I say, never say never because it only takes one guy in a position of power to prove me wrong and sign him but it is a huge long shot. Forwards are getting smaller but goalies are getting bigger.

I did say “outside chance”. He is definitely more likely to come back as an OA, but then the team would be better served by trading him.

 

[OMG67]

I did say “outside chance”. He is definitely more likely to come back as an OA, but then the team would be better served by trading him.

I agree. I think Oshawa may be the best option. McShane and Vallati will get the first two spots. Kooy will get the audition. We’ll see how he ends up doing but I doubt he will shine to the pint of backstopping a Memorial Cup team. His numbers have been very poor.

I wouldn’t expect too much for an OA goalie though. If we got a 2nd and a 3rd for him, I think we’d be doing very well. The only reason to trade him is to give Cranley his shot. Keeping him in a backup role for three years would be too long and not all that fair.

 

[OMG67]

Tourigny gets the nod to be the Head Coach for team Canada next year. Congrats to him!

 

[67hockeyfan]

I wouldn’t expect too much for an OA goalie though. If we got a 2nd and a 3rd for him, I think we’d be doing very well.

That wouldn’t be a bad return for a 12th round pick

 

[Boris67]

Tourigny gets the nod to be the Head Coach for team Canada next year. Congrats to him!

With or without Tourigny at the helm ...you have to think #22 has a real shot at making trip with world junior squad to Edmonton next year.

 

[BarberPole9]

That wouldn’t be a bad return for a 12th round pick

I

Great news for Andre Tourigny being named the World Junior coach! Though it doesn't guarantee that he'll be back it would certainly help the odds of his return.

Depending on what happens with returning players like Hoelscher and the long shot Rossi, we could have an amazing team next year. I can't see Andre Tourigny deciding to sell off until the deadline, if at all as Ottawa still has an extra 2nd round pick in both the 2021 and 2022 drafts albeit they are missing a 2023 2nd and 3rd and 2022 3rd so their hands won't be forced to make trades to recoup the cupboard of picks like Guelph was this year in the preseason/early season.

Oshawa is being anointed right now as the likely hosts and powerhouse but Phil Tomasino may be playing his way onto Nashville's roster next year. They don't have much in nets either right now and are likely set with Mcshane/Vallatti/Ennis are their OA's next year unless they try to upgrade. Kingston and Hamilton should be better but the Petes will take a big step backwards. The Central looks like it will be the weakest division in the league again though Barrie and Mississauga should be much better and Sudbury may return Byfield if they get lucky. Niagara and NB look very, very weak for next year again.

It's a great time to be a 67's fan.

 

[OMG67]

With or without Tourigny at the helm ...you have to think #22 has a real shot at making trip with world junior squad to Edmonton next year.

Agreed.