Ottawa 67's 2019-20 Season Thread

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Larionov

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Embarrassed to say that this was my first live game of the year. Entertaining game, and great crowd - you'd think the team was in first place or something.

I thought that the shot count flattered the Fish big time - our guys definitely had the edge in terms of puck possession and high danger scoring opportunities. This is why shots on goal can be a very misleading statistic. Cranley definitely played well, but for the most part our guys kept everything to the outside and let him see everything, just as they should.

And, not exactly a fresh take, but man is Rossi ever a stud. That kid sees the ice so well, and generates offense every time he is on the ice. He is a treat to watch. Obviously it depends on where he goes, but I think there's a good chance for another Sean Monahan situation where he sticks with his NHL team next Fall and never does come back here. This is why I think we should load up and take another run at it this year...
 

OMG67

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I've been impressed, overall, with the quality of the defence. I know a lot has been made about Okhotyuk and Rippon being out and the team is still winning but I don't really think their absence really affects this team very much. I feel both are only marginal upgrades on their replacements. Maybe Hoefenmayer and Bahl need to play a few extra minutes per game but generally speaking, the depth on the blueline is well placed. When Rippon and Okhotyuk come back, don;t expect some significant increase in ability on display. I don't think we'll see that.

The only injury really affecting us right now is Clarke.

I still would like to see a kid like HArley on this team. He'd really stretch out the offence and give the opposition something to be scared about from the back end. Him and Hoefenmayer on separate pairings would be ridiculous and almost impossible to stop.
 
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OMG67

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Let’s hope Tolnai has a great game today and leaves an impression!

Tolnai ended up being pulled from the 2nd line and was replaced by Johnston. He went back to centre. I am not sure if it was because he was being punished or not but it looked like Crete may have not played in the 3rd period. He did make a couple bonehead plays. Tolnai may have been bumped down to cover the centre position. Dunno.

Thoughts?
 

OHLoutsider2020

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I've been impressed, overall, with the quality of the defence. I know a lot has been made about Okhotyuk and Rippon being out and the team is still winning but I don't really think their absence really affects this team very much. I feel both are only marginal upgrades on their replacements. Maybe Hoefenmayer and Bahl need to play a few extra minutes per game but generally speaking, the depth on the blueline is well placed. When Rippon and Okhotyuk come back, don;t expect some significant increase in ability on display. I don't think we'll see that.

The only injury really affecting us right now is Clarke.

I still would like to see a kid like HArley on this team. He'd really stretch out the offence and give the opposition something to be scared about from the back end. Him and Hoefenmayer on separate pairings would be ridiculous and almost impossible to stop.
The kids are doing well on back end. The last six or so games are lead by Hoefenmeyer and Bahl but Matier, Sawyer and Constantini have filled in nicely with the injuries to Rippon and Okhotyuk. It took some time for them to adjust to the league but are coming along quickly. Does any other contender play three rookie defence on a regular basis? No chance.
 
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ecraigs

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I thought Tolnai showed some skill and effort. He was certainly more visible than before. He has decent size and could be more physical. He seems to struggle with what his role is and he doesn't put enough rubber on net. That, however, seemed to be the maladie du jour. Hoelscher was particularly out of sync.

It is games like this that show what a team is made of. Offensively, not their best effort, but they worked hard and got solid goaltending from Cranley. The 5-man defence showed great composure under pressure in the late going, leading to the empty net goal.
 

OMG67

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The kids are doing well on back end. The last six or so games are lead by Hoefenmeyer and Bahl but Matier, Sawyer and Constantini have filled in nicely with the injuries to Rippon and Okhotyuk. It took some time for them to adjust to the league but are coming along quickly. Does any other contender play three rookie defence on a regular basis? No chance.

We have to raise expectations somewhat to match the level of competition in the playoffs. That is something we need to keep a focus on. Our defence last year was pretty solid and Guelph picked it apart, albeit without a heathy Bahl.

I like the defence but it is still missing a weapon. Too many #4-5 types. Very capable and won't necessarily cost you in the regular season but they'll get more exposed in the playoffs as competition gets stiffer. That is where Rippon and Okhotyul will start to create a gap between them and the rest.
 

beastintheeast

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If al things stay the same Rossi would be looking at playing in Chicago Buffalo and wait for it OTTAWA.

Rossi from a PR would be awesome in a Sens uniform but I do not think any team would expect him to make the NHL the first year.
 

sirius67fan

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I've been impressed, overall, with the quality of the defence. I know a lot has been made about Okhotyuk and Rippon being out and the team is still winning but I don't really think their absence really affects this team very much. I feel both are only marginal upgrades on their replacements. Maybe Hoefenmayer and Bahl need to play a few extra minutes per game but generally speaking, the depth on the blueline is well placed. When Rippon and Okhotyuk come back, don;t expect some significant increase in ability on display. I don't think we'll see that.

The only injury really affecting us right now is Clarke.

I still would like to see a kid like HArley on this team. He'd really stretch out the offence and give the opposition something to be scared about from the back end. Him and Hoefenmayer on separate pairings would be ridiculous and almost impossible to stop.
Agreed about the defense, the kids have been impressive. I will again disagree with you on Rippon/Okhotiuk, they are both top pairing caliber in the O from a defensive shutdown point of view and don't dismiss the importance of their physicality come playoff time. One thing that imo did hurt us against Guelph is that Rippon was not100% which curbed his physicality which we needed against the big Guelph forwards. As for Harley I'm starting to agree with you, he would be quite an addas long as Clarke returns otherwise a top 6 forward is a priority. As you said before maybe we can get by with two lethal lines with added offense from the back end.
 
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sirius67fan

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It was nice to see Cranley have a good game, easily his best as a 67. I like his calmness and size. Hopefully he continues to develop.
 
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OMG67

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Agreed about the defense, the kids have been impressive. I will again disagree with you on Rippon/Okhotiuk, they are both top pairing caliber in the O from a defensive shutdown point of view and don't dismiss the importance of their physicality come playoff time. One thing that imo did hurt us against Guelph is that Rippon was not100% which curbed his physicality which we needed against the big Guelph forwards. As for Harley I'm starting to agree with you, he would be quite an addas long as Clarke returns otherwise a top 6 forward is a priority. As you said before maybe we can get by with two lethal lines with added offense from the back end.

There are a few things I like about Harley:

1> It gives us an added dimension from the back end.
2> His relative cost will be similar to that of guys like Thomas (plus maybe two added 2nds conditional on his return next year)
3> If he does return (he’s only 18), we can dish him off at the deadline for a moderately similar return as what we paid.
4> He has swagger. He is a confident kid. HE is poised and is a force. HE looks for opportunities without giving much up from his defensive responsibilities.
5> He’d probably play with Bahl. That would drop Hoefenmayer down to the 2nd unit. It would mean Hoef’s pairing would be lined up with Quinn and Hoelscher’s line 5 on 5. That added boost would give the opposition fits. Not many teams would be able to cover two five man units successfully, especially with our speed.
6> Guaranteed, if we don’t deal for him, he’ll be playing against us in the playoffs for another contender. In my mind, he’d be a bigger factor to play against than any of the forwards available.

Those two defence units would easily play 50 minutes per game leaving the 3rd pairing with just 10 minutes of coverage against the oppositions 3rd and 4th lines. We can even rotate Rippon and Okhotyuk in with Hoef to help balance that load and distribute minutes. We could almost run with 5 D-Men to be honest.
 

dirty12

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There are a few things I like about Harley:

1> It gives us an added dimension from the back end.
2> His relative cost will be similar to that of guys like Thomas (plus maybe two added 2nds conditional on his return next year)
3> If he does return (he’s only 18), we can dish him off at the deadline for a moderately similar return as what we paid.
4> He has swagger. He is a confident kid. HE is poised and is a force. HE looks for opportunities without giving much up from his defensive responsibilities.
5> He’d probably play with Bahl. That would drop Hoefenmayer down to the 2nd unit. It would mean Hoef’s pairing would be lined up with Quinn and Hoelscher’s line 5 on 5. That added boost would give the opposition fits. Not many teams would be able to cover two five man units successfully, especially with our speed.
6> Guaranteed, if we don’t deal for him, he’ll be playing against us in the playoffs for another contender. In my mind, he’d be a bigger factor to play against than any of the forwards available.

Those two defence units would easily play 50 minutes per game leaving the 3rd pairing with just 10 minutes of coverage against the oppositions 3rd and 4th lines. We can even rotate Rippon and Okhotyuk in with Hoef to help balance that load and distribute minutes. We could almost run with 5 D-Men to be honest.

(maybe) overkill, similar to adding two scoring OA F for a third unmatched scoring line. Adding to team strength night only add marginal gains
 
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sirius67fan

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Just wanted to comment on Costantini. The more I see him the more I'm impressed and he keeps improving with the icetime he's getting. He doesn't have a dominant feature to his game physically but I've come to realize he's very smart and sees the ice very well so he tends to make the right plays and he's almost never caught in bad position. Good add to the team.
 

OMG67

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(maybe) overkill, similar to adding two scoring OA F for a third unmatched scoring line. Adding to team strength night only add marginal gains

On the surface I can understand your perspective.

That said, the strength of Ottawa’s defence is it’s depth of players at the OHL level. We have eight players all capable of contributing at this level in a strong way. But there is a difference between guys that can play at this level and guys that can drive the play at this level. Hoefenmayer can drive the play at this level. Bahl can control the play at this level. The other six Ottawa D-Man can react to the play at this level. None of them can control or drive the play.

This is no disrespect to our defencemen individually. It is awesome we have such considerable depth. It has proven quite valuable during this period of injury. If we don’t have injuries, the other two D-Men are less valuable than a backup goalie. Sort of like a waste of assets in some respect.

As you mentioned, having the 3 deep scoring lines didn’t make a difference last season. To me, the combination of Samarukov, Phillips, Durzi and Lalonde with Gordeev’s size was a big difference maker for them. Their top 5 really controlled a lot of the play with how each of those players would normally be in most teams top 2.

Outside of Hoefenmayer and Bahl, I am reasonably certain no one would suggest any of our bottom 6 would be considered as top pair D-Men on over half of the teams in the league. Again, no disrespect to our guys. It is just an honest assessment of the level of their ability.
 
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dirty12

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On the surface I can understand your perspective.

That said, the strength of Ottawa’s defence is it’s depth of players at the OHL level. We have eight players all capable of contributing at this level in a strong way. But there is a difference between guys that can play at this level and guys that can drive the play at this level. Hoefenmayer can drive the play at this level. Bahl can control the play at this level. The other six Ottawa D-Man can react to the play at this level. None of them can control or drive the play.

This is no disrespect to our defencemen individually. It is awesome we have such considerable depth. It has proven quite valuable during this period of injury. If we don’t have injuries, the other two D-Men are less valuable than a backup goalie. Sort of like a waste of assets in some respect.

As you mentioned, having the 3 deep scoring lines didn’t make a difference last season. To me, the combination of Samarukov, Phillips, Durzi and Lalonde with Gordeev’s size was a big difference maker for them. Their top 5 really controlled a lot of the play with how each of those players would normally be in most teams top 2.

Outside of Hoefenmayer and Bahl, I am reasonably certain no one would suggest any of our bottom 6 would be considered as top pair D-Men on over half of the teams in the league. Again, no disrespect to our guys. It is just an honest assessment of the level of their ability.

can see it your way, I agree Guelph’s D was what made them best. Move 1-2 younger D in a separate deal to limit pick hit and sitting/wasting young talent; then, Harley makes a lot of sense
 

OMG67

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can see it your way, I agree Guelph’s D was what made them best. Move 1-2 younger D in a separate deal to limit pick hit and sitting/wasting young talent; then, Harley makes a lot of sense

Plus I don’t want to have to play against him!

The problem with the juggle trades on defence is we need Rippon next year as an OA. Okhotyuk is an Import so unless we move him for a forward Import, it doesn’t really fit. We don’t want to trade Matier if possible. We can’t trade Sawyer. Costantini simply isn’t worth much on the trade market. HE is worth way more to use going forward in future seasons. I would assume Belanger would be in the Harley deal, maybe Matier. So it looks like it would be a one in, one out scenario no matter how we look at it.

Costantini may get be good in a deal to bring in a 19 year old forward if we add a decent picks.
 

OHLoutsider2020

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Plus I don’t want to have to play against him!

The problem with the juggle trades on defence is we need Rippon next year as an OA. Okhotyuk is an Import so unless we move him for a forward Import, it doesn’t really fit. We don’t want to trade Matier if possible. We can’t trade Sawyer. Costantini simply isn’t worth much on the trade market. HE is worth way more to use going forward in future seasons. I would assume Belanger would be in the Harley deal, maybe Matier. So it looks like it would be a one in, one out scenario no matter how we look at it.

Costantini may get be good in a deal to bring in a 19 year old forward if we add a decent picks.
 

OHLoutsider2020

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Lots of scenarios but when you have a team as good as Ottawa this is the problem. Any team in contention will add, but at what expense? Not sure moving Matier is high on the GMs list. His progress from first ten games to last ten games has been very positive. He was on the ice in last minute vs Mississauga in a 1-0 game and you would expect it to be Hoefenmeyer and Bahl. Sawyer has been steady. Constantini has been steady. What if one of Rippon or Okhotyuk were packaged with Cranley and picks? What type of return would this land the 67s ?
 
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