Ottawa 67's 2021-22 Season Thread

[PuckStop75]

Schlueting traded. Stevens, Thompson, Campbell won’t make the cut imo. Currie & Mayotte to start. Vrbetic, Winslow, Jackson for sure.
The D depth chart should be something like:
Winslow-Christopolous
Rose-Nelson
Lukin-Mathurin-Hollett
Mayotte
2021-1st 3rd picks
Thompson

This sounds like a better discussion for the NB board, the point was I expect them to be competitive based on the returning players they have access to.

 

[dirty12]

This sounds like a better discussion for the NB board, the point was I expect them to be competitive based on the returning players they have access to.

Agreed. I’ll just finish by stating I expect NB to be in the bottom half experience wise and bottom half (5-8) in the standings.

 

[beastintheeast]

This 67 team is going to be a competitive team and people will know that they have played them. The one advantage we have over Kingston is that our coach has the experience and will know how to do things.

I expect our defence will be one of the best in the league this year and if we can get the goaltending we will be hard to beat. The only question is will we have the goalscorers. If not it is going to be good tight-checking and hitting hockey.

If Moldenhauer reports and right now he is listed as unsigned on both sites. I would expect that he could in fact be our second-line center. I think Laforme will be first-line and Tolnai will be line 2b a shutdown line with whoever makes it.

It would not surprise me to see Cameron cut or Boyd trade Robinson.

 

[dirty12]

This 67 team is going to be a competitive team and people will know that they have played them. The one advantage we have over Kingston is that our coach has the experience and will know how to do things.

I expect our defence will be one of the best in the league this year and if we can get the goaltending we will be hard to beat. The only question is will we have the goalscorers. If not it is going to be good tight-checking and hitting hockey.

If Moldenhauer reports and right now he is listed as unsigned on both sites. I would expect that he could in fact be our second-line center. I think Laforme will be first-line and Tolnai will be line 2b a shutdown line with whoever makes it.

It would not surprise me to see Cameron cut or Boyd trade Robinson.

I am curious to know what makes you think Laforme will be #1 C. Would NB not be aware of that upside and demand conditions on the 4th round pick they received for LaForme? Were the ‘67s the only OHL team he would report to?

 

[ChurchOfAlfie]

Jack Matier goes to Nashville, 124th overall.

 

[sudburydinnerjacket]

This 67 team is going to be a competitive team and people will know that they have played them. The one advantage we have over Kingston is that our coach has the experience and will know how to do things.

I expect our defence will be one of the best in the league this year and if we can get the goaltending we will be hard to beat. The only question is will we have the goalscorers. If not it is going to be good tight-checking and hitting hockey.

If Moldenhauer reports and right now he is listed as unsigned on both sites. I would expect that he could in fact be our second-line center. I think Laforme will be first-line and Tolnai will be line 2b a shutdown line with whoever makes it.

It would not surprise me to see Cameron cut or Boyd trade Robinson.

with all due respect why would he choose Ottawa or ohl over Steel? Have you been following draft?

 

[ChurchOfAlfie]

Jack Beck to Calgary, 168th.

 

[OMG67]

with all due respect why would he choose Ottawa or ohl over Steel? Have you been following draft?

Im not too sure there’s a spot for him on Chicago. If there were, he’d already be signed.

 

[beastintheeast]

with all due respect why would he choose Ottawa or ohl over Steel? Have you been following draft?

Using your thought pattern why would Musty choose Sudbury over the USHL. I am sure that if he is a first-round pick for you that he would be a highly wanted player in the USH L and NCAA.

The fact that Moldenhauer has not signed with either team is a case of him and his parents waiting to see what the offers are.

Will he project better playing for Cameron or playing in the USHL.
Does he want to get a Canadian University degree or American.

There are a lot of t things that go through a player's and more importantly parents' and agents' minds.

As to Laforme, I am looking at what we have at center and at this stage, I think Laforme is probably at least for the start of the season the best offensive center we have.
That is not to say he will be the best halfway through the season but he is IMNSHO a better choice than Tolnai.

I expect that Cameron is going to shake things up and will make sure that players that have a chance at the draft and are worthy of the trust will get the shots at being the PP and of playing on lines.

 

[OMG67]

Using your thought pattern why would Musty choose Sudbury over the USHL. I am sure that if he is a first-round pick for you that he would be a highly wanted player in the USH L and NCAA.

The fact that Moldenhauer has not signed with either team is a case of him and his parents waiting to see what the offers are.

Will he project better playing for Cameron or playing in the USHL.
Does he want to get a Canadian University degree or American.

There are a lot of t things that go through a player's and more importantly parents' and agents' minds.

As to Laforme, I am looking at what we have at center and at this stage, I think Laforme is probably at least for the start of the season the best offensive center we have.
That is not to say he will be the best halfway through the season but he is IMNSHO a better choice than Tolnai.

I expect that Cameron is going to shake things up and will make sure that players that have a chance at the draft and are worthy of the trust will get the shots at being the PP and of playing on lines.

Suggesting Laforme is our #1 centre (and may be right) highlights how weak this team really is up front on paper…

 

[dirty12]

LaForme will be 18 with zero games sat on an OHL bench. Tolnai will be 19 and has 108 OHL GP biding his time behind centres Chemelvski, Rossi, & Hoelscher learning what it takes to lead a team to the top of the eastern conference in consecutive seasons.
It works for London; practice hard, learn from the vets, and when your time comes make it count.

 

[OMG67]

LaForme will be 18 with zero games sat on an OHL bench. Tolnai will be 19 and has 108 OHL GP biding his time behind centres Chemelvski, Rossi, & Hoelscher learning what it takes to lead a team to the top of the eastern conference in consecutive seasons.
It works for London; practice hard, learn from the vets, and when your time comes make it count.

Yannick Crete has 55 games played and would be the second most experienced Centre on the roster and he learned under all the same players Tolnai did. Say hello to our 2nd line centre.

Experience means F-All if the skill isn’t there. I agree Tolnai is probably the #1 Centre on this team but when a 19 year old has a scoring percentage of 0.32 points per game, I’d say I don’t care who the hell the player watched for two years from the bench, that player needs to compete for his spot. No one is going to give him that opportunity.

Steven Laforme is a playmaking centre that will probably slot beside Brendan Sirizzotti who can shoot the puck. Tolnai will probably slot beside Dylan Robinson (45 games played - less than Crete!). I’d assume Beck will probably slot beside Laforme and Sirizzotti. Varga will probably slot beside Tolnai and Robinson.

So, if I am right, the proposed first two lines:

Robinson-Tolnai-Varga
Beck-Laforme-Sirizzotti

Thomas Johnson is the only other player that has experience. The rest will be rookies of varying ages. So, you gotta think those six guys are ear marked for top two lines in some fashion. Rohrer scored at a 0.30 clip with the under-20 team and about 1.90 clip with the under-17 team (over a goal per game and was the Captain). Rohrer will get an opportunity as well I think. We just don’t know if he will slot in as a centre or a winger. If Varga doesn’t return, I’d assume Rohrer would get one of those two spots on wing.

Regardless of all that, the point is Tolnai is not the heir apparent in any way shape or form. To me, it looks more like there will be two lines that will probably generate decent 2nd line type play. Below that it is a bunch of rookies. Who knows what will happen there…

The big problem is Tolnai is missing that propulsion year as an 18 year old. He would more than likely have gotten solid 3rd line centre minutes last season and maybe even 2nd line centre minutes. That would have given him (and us) a chance to see what he can handle with the added responsibility. Considering how difficult the centre position is in this league, I am just not sure Tolnai can go head to head with other teams first lines and be successful night after night. Neither will Laforme for that matter.

This will be a significant area of struggle for this team and there is no sense in acquiring a first line centre to shelter Tolnai as a 19 year old. We’ll jsut have to roll with the punches and use this season for development the best we can. If the team exceeds expectations and nails down a #4 seed then great. I think #6 seed in a tightly contested 4th through 7th is probably more accurate.

 

[dirty12]

Yannick Crete has 55 games played and would be the second most experienced Centre on the roster and he learned under all the same players Tolnai did. Say hello to our 2nd line centre.

Experience means F-All if the skill isn’t there. I agree Tolnai is probably the #1 Centre on this team but when a 19 year old has a scoring percentage of 0.32 points per game, I’d say I don’t care who the hell the player watched for two years from the bench, that player needs to compete for his spot. No one is going to give him that opportunity.

Steven Laforme is a playmaking centre that will probably slot beside Brendan Sirizzotti who can shoot the puck. Tolnai will probably slot beside Dylan Robinson (45 games played - less than Crete!). I’d assume Beck will probably slot beside Laforme and Sirizzotti. Varga will probably slot beside Tolnai and Robinson.

So, if I am right, the proposed first two lines:

Robinson-Tolnai-Varga
Beck-Laforme-Sirizzotti

Thomas Johnson is the only other player that has experience. The rest will be rookies of varying ages. So, you gotta think those six guys are ear marked for top two lines in some fashion. Rohrer scored at a 0.30 clip with the under-20 team and about 1.90 clip with the under-17 team (over a goal per game and was the Captain). Rohrer will get an opportunity as well I think. We just don’t know if he will slot in as a centre or a winger. If Varga doesn’t return, I’d assume Rohrer would get one of those two spots on wing.

Regardless of all that, the point is Tolnai is not the heir apparent in any way shape or form. To me, it looks more like there will be two lines that will probably generate decent 2nd line type play. Below that it is a bunch of rookies. Who knows what will happen there…

The big problem is Tolnai is missing that propulsion year as an 18 year old. He would more than likely have gotten solid 3rd line centre minutes last season and maybe even 2nd line centre minutes. That would have given him (and us) a chance to see what he can handle with the added responsibility. Considering how difficult the centre position is in this league, I am just not sure Tolnai can go head to head with other teams first lines and be successful night after night. Neither will Laforme for that matter.

This will be a significant area of struggle for this team and there is no sense in acquiring a first line centre to shelter Tolnai as a 19 year old. We’ll jsut have to roll with the punches and use this season for development the best we can. If the team exceeds expectations and nails down a #4 seed then great. I think #6 seed in a tightly contested 4th through 7th is probably more accurate.

Age, experience, graduating birth years means a great deal in the OHL. The last games for Tolnai were when Rossi & Hoelscher were getting the bulk of the TOI and almost all of the PP opportunity. This season Tolnai will face a few ‘01 born, and a double cohort of rookies, some of which have not played a game above bantam, rather than ‘01, ‘00, & some ‘99 born. I did not suggest Tolnai will be a top 20 scorer, just slotted higher than the kid with zero OHL games.

 

[OMG67]

Age, experience, graduating birth years means a great deal in the OHL. The last games for Tolnai were when Rossi & Hoelscher were getting the bulk of the TOI and almost all of the PP opportunity. This season Tolnai will face a few ‘01 born, and a double cohort of rookies, some of which have not played a game above bantam, rather than ‘01, ‘00, & some ‘99 born. I did not suggest Tolnai will be a top 20 scorer, just slotted higher than the kid with zero OHL games.

And by the same logic, so would Crete who is just slightly below Tolnai in games played as well as points per game.

Tolnai may have played well below those players you mentioned; however, in your previous post you mentioned the London Knights cycle. We’ll those same 17 year old London Knights players get NHL drafted. Tolnai wasn’t on any serious list so let’s all be honest. You are correct he has more experience but the reality that experience really didn’t show enough for me to suggest he will play at a first line level effectively. Crete also has more experience. Johnston has more experience than Rohrer and Laforme combined. He most likely won’t be playing ahead of either of those two players.

so yes, experience means something but in a year where no one played the year previously, you can throw those usual assumptions out the window. Tolnai’s TOI for his two seasons was very little and last year was zero. This is going to have a significant effect. If he plays in the role you think he is going to play, he won’t be playing against untested rookies. He’ll be tasked with playing against every opponents top line 20 minutes per night.

the main area Tolnai will have an advantage is a more mature 19 year old body. He had 60 games playing 7 minutes a game and 40 games playing 9 minutes per game.

I don’t think he will be a top 20 centre. I think he will struggle getting to top 30 centre. I think his ability will be better suited in a defensive role with about 40 points. I think Laforme will be more offensive and will reach around 55 points. Arguing which is more important is semantics I guess. Both have an important role.

If Gaidamak were to have reported, I’d be more comfortable looking at him as 1st line centre but no such luck.

 

[beastintheeast]

Age, experience, graduating birth years means a great deal in the OHL. The last games for Tolnai were when Rossi & Hoelscher were getting the bulk of the TOI and almost all of the PP opportunity. This season Tolnai will face a few ‘01 born, and a double cohort of rookies, some of which have not played a game above bantam, rather than ‘01, ‘00, & some ‘99 born. I did not suggest Tolnai will be a top 20 scorer, just slotted higher than the kid with zero OHL games.

Age, experience and graduating birthdate just means he is older than the other players.

This is a team that does not have an heir apparent like most years.

This is a new coaching staff and more importantly a new coach.

There are a lot of things that are gong to be deciding factors not discounting who is going to play and sign.

Looking at the possible scenarios the 3 centers for this team could be laforme, Tolnai and Moldenhauer.

Of the 3 the one that has the pedigree as a goal producer and has played the most games in the past year is Moldenhauer.

Also if it is a choice of possibly 3rd line in Ottawa or guaranteed minutes and university in the USHL. He will sign below the border.

Bottom line is that if Tolnai had any thoughts of leading this team on the f first line he would have been skating his assets off and working out during the past year.

My firm belief is that at this time there are no lines. Cameron is going to into camp with a group of players that will all be fighting for the first 2 lines. with no one painted in or promised other than maybe Beck and Modlenhauer and even he will have to earn his time.

The same is also true but at a lower degree with the defence pairings as some of them have played together.
To my thinking this is going to be one of the best training camps in a long time.

Should be really interesting.

This may be a mute point but I think that I could even see a team without Tolnai Robinson and Varga if the rookies show enough promise.

 

[dirty12]

There are a few exceptions each year; but for the most part, age and experience, along with players graduating each year really does matter. It has been one of the few constants.
Roger, Montgomery, McCue (combined 15 pts) were quite likely drafted largely based on being able to play on Hunter’s team and his word on the players. I’d say playing for Tourigny the last couple of seasons might be the next best thing. I’ll side with history and believe Tolnai is better for playing for Tourigny, learning from Rossi, a couple of birth years aging out replaced by true rookies, and being part of a winning team; and because of that, slots higher than the 18 yr old with zero OHL games played. LaForme may prove more deserving; but that ain’t happening at training camp, imo.

 

[beastintheeast]

Dirty you may be right but to say that just because he played under Tourigny and behind some high-powered players he is going to be a star and leader of this team is definitely incorrect.
The Holy way he becomes a leader is to show that he can do it and that he is the best center on the team.
Cameron has an almost completely brand new slate on forward of players that have played a little and players that have not laid at the OHL level. There are no players that have had second-line minutes and on the team, for the past few years the third line did not get a lot of ice time.

I will stay with my thoughts that Tolnai will be a third-line center at best on this team if Moldenhauer returns. There will IMNSHO be a first or second line on this team there are going to be 2 lines that will be almost equal in their abilities.

Could Tolnai surprise me Yeah but I am not going to hold my breath

 

[dirty12]

Dirty you may be right but to say that just because he played under Tourigny and behind some high-powered players he is going to be a star and leader of this team is definitely incorrect.
The Holy way he becomes a leader is to show that he can do it and that he is the best center on the team.
Cameron has an almost completely brand new slate on forward of players that have played a little and players that have not laid at the OHL level. There are no players that have had second-line minutes and on the team, for the past few years the third line did not get a lot of ice time.

I will stay with my thoughts that Tolnai will be a third-line center at best on this team if Moldenhauer returns. There will IMNSHO be a first or second line on this team there are going to be 2 lines that will be almost equal in their abilities.

Could Tolnai surprise me Yeah but I am not going to hold my breath

nowhere did I use the words star or leader. I gave reasons why I believe Tolnai will be slotted above LaForme.

 

[beastintheeast]

Dirty my point is tht Ottawa has some great skaters that have offensive chops coming in Tolnai does not have the speed or the skill level from what we have seen in past years.
There is a HUGE BUNCH of centers that have been drafted and signed by the 67's. The best thing I can see Tolnai being is a DanTudin type player that plays where they want him and gives everything he has every shift.

ACTUALLY BEING A LEADER is one thing that Tolnai could be good at.

This is a rebuilding team which means that a lot of the ice time is going to be given to the players that will be here next year.
Here are my projections for offence this year paper wise As I said this is going to be an open camp where only a couple of forwards are going to have any ice time promised of given to them.

Beck Laforme Sirizzotti,
Johnston Moldenhauer Stonehouse
Robinson, Tolnai Rohrer
Foster Pinelli Varga
Couchie Gardiner

Beck Laforme Sirizzotti,
Johnston Tolnai Stonehouse
Robinson Crete Rohrer
Foster Pinelli,Varga
Couchie Gardiner

 

[OMG67]

Dirty you may be right but to say that just because he played under Tourigny and behind some high-powered players he is going to be a star and leader of this team is definitely incorrect.
The Holy way he becomes a leader is to show that he can do it and that he is the best center on the team.
Cameron has an almost completely brand new slate on forward of players that have played a little and players that have not laid at the OHL level. There are no players that have had second-line minutes and on the team, for the past few years the third line did not get a lot of ice time.

I will stay with my thoughts that Tolnai will be a third-line center at best on this team if Moldenhauer returns. There will IMNSHO be a first or second line on this team there are going to be 2 lines that will be almost equal in their abilities.

Could Tolnai surprise me Yeah but I am not going to hold my breath

I think that is also a far fetched assumption. I agree with you that Tolnai may not be the best centre on this team next year. But, to suggest he is (at best) the 3rd line centre is off base.

I mostly agree with Dirty regarding Tolnai EXCEPT that he is penned into first line Centre. Tolnai will be the centre most relied upon, at least in the early part of the season. The question is whether he can hold it down with the pressure coming from older (non-16 year old) rookies like Laforme, Rohrer and potentially Moldenhauer as you suggest.

We also don’t know what we will get from a kid like Crete. He’s another 19 year old that had some flashes of solid play and was with the team his entire 17 year old season playing under all the same players Tolnai did.

In the end, too much is being made about who is #1. In my opinion, we don’t have a #1. We have a handful of guys that seem to pencil in as #2/3 line type guys, whether that is at Centre or Wing. We do not have a prototypical forward you would pen in as a first line player. They may END UP as a first line player by default but they will mostly struggle against the top 3 teams in the East. The question is how they will fare against the 4th through 7th ranked teams in the East.

The reality is we have no idea where this team should finish in the standings because:
1> The sample size of play from our existing forward unit is minimal at best
2> The sample size of most every other teams top players is minimal at best

How can we truly rank Ottawa against most of the other teams when we don’t know what we have and we don’t know what other teams have?

Now they are allowing players that played a minimum of 20 games at the AHL level last season to return to the AHL for development as opposed to the CHL. That means a guy like Foerster is more than likely not going to play in Barrie this season. How does that affect Barrie. Mysak my not play in Hamilton. Just a couple examples.

It is fun to debate these topics and pull out our crystal ball but we should at least stay within reasonable boundaries. To suggest Tolnai is nothing better than a 3rd line centre on this team when there is not one clear player ahead of him is pretty bold to say the least. Moldenhauer and Rohrer are both more natural wingers than centres. They may line up at centre but both would need significant time adjusting, especially in a faster league.

I’m more curious about Robinson and where he ends up slotting in. Varga and crete as well. These guys are the leadership group up front from a veteran perspective. F this team is going to have success, it will require that foursome to play a significant role.

 

[analyser]

In my opinion I think Moldenhauer would be wise to sign with the team as he would be given every opportunity to succeed. Chicago realty does not look like they have a given spot available for him.

Hopefully he decides soon so he can be included or excluded in this year's plans.

 

[PuckStop75]

In my opinion I think Moldenhauer would be wise to sign with the team as he would be given every opportunity to succeed. Chicago realty does not look like they have a given spot available for him.

Hopefully he decides soon so he can be included or excluded in this year's plans.

If the Moldenhauer met with the team a few weeks ago as planned, and hasn't signed its unlikely he will report. Best case scenario is he agreed to attend camp and go from there or provided a list of teams he would report to if he still has interest in the OHL. It would likely be a case of whatever route provides him the best exposure for the draft, and I'd agree that opportunity appears to exist in Ottawa but it wouldn't be without competition which may be an obstacle.

 

[OMG67]

With respect to Moldenhauer, I think there are three options possible:

1> Moldenhauer’s priority is to play for the Chicago Steel. It is not his priority to play in the USHL in general. Just the Steel. That is a highly respected program. Possibly the most highly respected program in the USA right now behind the USDTDP. The problem is because it is a highly respected program, it is a program that is going to be very difficult to get into. If he were a serious candidate for that team, he’d already have signed. It is likely that if he wants to play for the Steel, he is going to have to do it out of some sort of training camp. Only then will he get a contract offer.
2> If he doesn’t make the steel, he will sign with the Ottawa 67’s as a Plan B. If he had a priority plan of playing NCAA hockey instead of CHL, the odds are very good that he’d have already signed a commitment letter. This is why I don’t think he has plans on playing in the USA unless it is for the Chicago Steel. If his plans were to play in the USA and leverage that to an NCAA scholarship, his commitment would already be signed. This is why I think if he doesn’t make the Steel, he will come to the OHL.
3> The third option is his priority is to play in the OHL but not for the 67’s. This is also an explanation why he has not signed an NCAA commitment. Because he has Zero intention of playing NCAA Hockey and going the American Scholarship route. For this to come to fruition, the 67’s and Moldenhauer have to get tot eh defection window where Moldenhauer confirms he is not going to report to Ottawa. If that happens, Ottawa can get the comp pick and trade his rights to a destination he prefers.

To me, those are the three options that are all possible. I don’t see a 4th option.

Unless something leaks out publicly, we won’t know what the situation is until this process plays out starting with the Chicago Steel and Ottawa 67’s training camps. We are about 4-6 weeks away from an answer.

 

[PuckStop75]

With respect to Moldenhauer, I think there are three options possible:

1> Moldenhauer’s priority is to play for the Chicago Steel. It is not his priority to play in the USHL in general. Just the Steel. That is a highly respected program. Possibly the most highly respected program in the USA right now behind the USDTDP. The problem is because it is a highly respected program, it is a program that is going to be very difficult to get into. If he were a serious candidate for that team, he’d already have signed. It is likely that if he wants to play for the Steel, he is going to have to do it out of some sort of training camp. Only then will he get a contract offer.
2> If he doesn’t make the steel, he will sign with the Ottawa 67’s as a Plan B. If he had a priority plan of playing NCAA hockey instead of CHL, the odds are very good that he’d have already signed a commitment letter. This is why I don’t think he has plans on playing in the USA unless it is for the Chicago Steel. If his plans were to play in the USA and leverage that to an NCAA scholarship, his commitment would already be signed. This is why I think if he doesn’t make the Steel, he will come to the OHL.
3> The third option is his priority is to play in the OHL but not for the 67’s. This is also an explanation why he has not signed an NCAA commitment. Because he has Zero intention of playing NCAA Hockey and going the American Scholarship route. For this to come to fruition, the 67’s and Moldenhauer have to get tot eh defection window where Moldenhauer confirms he is not going to report to Ottawa. If that happens, Ottawa can get the comp pick and trade his rights to a destination he prefers.

To me, those are the three options that are all possible. I don’t see a 4th option.

Unless something leaks out publicly, we won’t know what the situation is until this process plays out starting with the Chicago Steel and Ottawa 67’s training camps. We are about 4-6 weeks away from an answer.

Ottawa is very obviously not his first option, and if he's not good enough to play for the Steel how productive do people really expect him to be in the OHL?
At this point I'd be just as happy to see him be classified as defective, get the compensatory pick and move on.

 

[OMG67]

Ottawa is very obviously not his first option, and if he's not good enough to play for the Steel how productive do people really expect him to be in the OHL?
At this point I'd be just as happy to see him be classified as defective, get the compensatory pick and move on.

The Chicago Steel are the London Knights of the USHL right now.

they had 8 players drafted in the 2021 NHL draft this weekend. That includes Owen Power the #1 overall pick as well as two other 1st round picks.

Last season they also had eight players drafted in the 2020 NHL draft including first rounder Brendan Brisson.

The Chicago Steel are no joke. This is not a second tier team in a joke league. They are highly competitive and have a stellar roster.

I don’t think the 67s have had 16 players drafted to the NHL over the least 10 years let alone the last two!