Rebels-Hitmen on Sportsnet

[arsmaster*]

Dumba definitely thrives on the big hit. Which has the tendency to take him out of position when he's thinking more selfishly. A great quality to harness though. At 16 I'm glad to see him taking more risks as opposed to playing it too safe personally. He's got a dynamic and exciting edge to him. Intense work ethic and poise. He will be a riser just based on seeing the amount of tenacity and flash he has shown in both ends.

A lot of things about Dumba's game scream PK Subban to me.

Average size, excellent skater, excitable, enthusiastic and TALENTED. This kid looks easily like a top 15 selection next year.

RNH - Definately the best player on the ice, many times he was in the perfect spot to receive passes from his teammates in scoring zones, only for his teammates to not be able to make the play.

Silky smooth hands on the goal and hard to the roof....definately showed up for the National broadcast game last night even if it was 3 games in 3 nights.

 

[hawksfan50]

I was more impressed by the "youngster" DUMBA than i was by RNH ....IF they were both in the same draft ,I'd bet more on Dumba who is already at 16 ELECTRIFYING ..sure he will make some mistakes BUT this kid has a huge"it" factor
in the spped/skill and SHOT dept. and he also hits often and harder than you would expect from such a youngster at that weight..yes he too (like RNH needs to fill out more --but he's got even more time for that)...first time I've ever seen the kid - and my jaws dropped...

A couple of cautions on the RNH hype.. Yes he s a very good Jr. BUT there are some isues that suggest to me he willnot be a franchise player...Whle he has nice soft hands,his pure "shot" looks just average to me...He probably always willbe more playmaker than big goal scorer .now it is true he acclerated his goal scoring since the New Year and was hot coming into this game with hat tricks in recent games -BUT I also think the DUB is "off" this year---I do not hink it is as good as the OHL was this year ,nor was DUB goaltending especially that good and deep as the OHL shooters faced this year...SO I take RNH's 100+ pts with a bit of a grain of salt ...
Compared to OHL'er top picks of even recent past years (Hall,Stamkos),RNH somehow is not quite of that level ...I do not think he'd be a top 3 consideration in some other draft classes ( you could say the same for Landeskog though he plays an entirely different kind of game). RNH still looks not very strong --CGY wasn't that physical on him but the few times they just shoved him in the corners he was easily moved ...It is a huge jump from Jr. to pro and we have see countless Jr. "finese" players have trouble getting pushed around in the NHL ...Sure RNH can add bulk and strength -but i doubt he willbe ready for the nHl next season ...I'd have to re-assess him after another year in Red Deer for strength improvement. Also --I think RNH is "sneaky fast" rather that an all-out speed burner...It helps hat he plays in a weaker than usual DUB this year (too many slow players this year) ..anyway I'm just cautions on all the hype about him -his "greatness level" it has to be tempered against some of these issues I'm pointing out before throwing out a "franchise player" label on him..

However this DUMBA kid -now HE does excite me and could be a franchise D-man projecting that upside ...I really was impressed with his speed,athleticism, compete level,energy,hitting and SHOT ..it is a tool set tht screams possiblr franchise D-man...They even tried him a few shifts up front at forward given his energy and compete level ...I'd keep him on D though and he should improve on youthful mistakes with more xperience next year -his draft year..

Another sign that the DUB was "down" this year aoart from golie depth excellence (by the way KUEMPER had a top save % ,but in this game looked like a very beatable average Jr. goalie) is the fact that usually the DUB is a lot deeper in draft class D-men--this year apart from Siemens who is a legit top ten candidate --there is no other draft eligible Dub D-man who looks like a top 3 NHl d-man projection...Looks overly like a weaker than usual DUB d-man draft class this year.

NOw next year-- some of the "youngster" D-men in the DUB willbe a year more experiened for their draft year -and that 2012 DUB d-men
draft class will help the DUB get back to usual form ..all I'm saying is that RNH has taken advantage tHIS SEASON of a "down year" for the DUB --and so looks better than he would in a year the DUB had better competenncy.


Another way to guage RNH is his performance vs. some of his own teamates ...I note the goals scored this year by FROESE.PERSSON and KUDURNA....Nne of them really impressed me that much last night...FROESE has a quick release "shot" but looks like a slower skater than i had thought--so he may have trouble 'making it' at the NHL level...I've see a lot better forwards in the OHL than i saw out of anything Kudurna and Persson did last night...This begs the question-IF all 3 of these guys scored so much for Red Deer this year-again could it be a function of the down year for the Dub--especially in D-man and goalie depth quality? I think so. Now I know somebody willbring up the fact that Red Deer was playing its 3rd game in 3
nights-and so was tired will CGY hada day off begore playing them -so we did not get to see Froese and RNH at their best --possibly BUT that dis not stop Dumba from displaying energy and athleticsm --sorry but I still think both Froes's and RNH's numbers this year are INFLATED due to a weaker Dub level than usual.

THUS -let us show some caution on the RNH "hype" ..RNH's 100+ pts may not be the same achievement as Ryan Strome's 100+ pts earned in a much better OHL league compared to the dub this year.

Anyway this is my perception. The DUB has had better level of play in prior years and it will again-but to me this season looks "off" overall and so RNH sticks out in a weaker playing field there than usually is the case. Anyway-this is my opinion.

 

[leoleo3535]

geez Fiddy......you have seen ZERO WHL games live....a few on the tube....have very limited viewing of RNH, Dumba etc. etc........

 

[arsmaster*]

As usual hawksfan50 spews a bunch of gibberish accross my computer screen....a down year in the dub? really?

Thats the best you got? Strome playing on a stacked team....

The OHL generally always has higher point totals than the WHL, is that because those players are better? I would disagree....if Nugent-Hopkins was an ontario kid there is no doubt in my mind he would be the consensus #1 in this draft.

RNH - gets "easily moved", yeah I noticed that too, he rolls off of contact, instead of getting knocked down or separated from the puck, he is able to keep possession and make plays.

If your team wants to take Strome over RNH go right ahead....I am certain RNH is ahead of Strome on ALL NHL team lists.

About Dumba - like I said above, a very exciting player to watch, much like Subban in MTL, but to say he was more impressive that RNH in this game again compounds how many on here view your opinion. His presence as a defensman in this game was poor, he was put at forward because he was over exuberant in his pinches and jumping into the play, often creating chances in his own end.

He is a great prospect dont get me wrong, but there were times in that game that RNH was making plays and going to areas where NHL caliber players would/could of created more....if RNH goes to Edmonton, he and Eberle would be magic together....hockey sense and playmaking is off the charts.

His shot is far better than average, you might want to watch the video highlights of his hatrick and 5 point night from Saturday night...I believe its in the RNH is Datsyuk thread.

 

[YNWA14]

As usual hawksfan50 spews a bunch of gibberish accross my computer screen....a down year in the dub? really?

Thats the best you got? Strome playing on a stacked team....

The OHL generally always has higher point totals than the WHL, is that because those players are better? I would disagree....if Nugent-Hopkins was an ontario kid there is no doubt in my mind he would be the consensus #1 in this draft.

RNH - gets "easily moved", yeah I noticed that too, he rolls off of contact, instead of getting knocked down or separated from the puck, he is able to keep possession and make plays.

If your team wants to take Strome over RNH go right ahead....I am certain RNH is ahead of Strome on ALL NHL team lists.

About Dumba - like I said above, a very exciting player to watch, much like Subban in MTL, but to say he was more impressive that RNH in this game again compounds how many on here view your opinion. His presence as a defensman in this game was poor, he was put at forward because he was over exuberant in his pinches and jumping into the play, often creating chances in his own end.

He is a great prospect dont get me wrong, but there were times in that game that RNH was making plays and going to areas where NHL caliber players would/could of created more....if RNH goes to Edmonton, he and Eberle would be magic together....hockey sense and playmaking is off the charts.

His shot is far better than average, you might want to watch the video highlights of his hatrick and 5 point night from Saturday night...I believe its in the RNH is Datsyuk thread.

Not going to get into the whole RNH's skill level debate...but how is Strome on a stacked team?

 

[arsmaster*]

Not going to get into the whole RNH's skill level debate...but how is Strome on a stacked team?

Maybe stacked was the wrong word, but Niagara has a pretty good lineup...deep I guess is the better word.

Niagara has a very good team.

 

[R S]

hawksfan50 with another great comedic post.

Welcome to WHL hockey, Dumba is a great prospect. Glad you finally got to watch a real hockey game for once instead of reading stats.

 

[Aaron Vickers]

For those scoring at home, RNH had 20:57 TOI and was 43% in the faceoff dot during the game against Calgary.

Note that he didn't see a shift on the PK and that he wasn't on the ice in the final 1:42 of the game.

 

[SenzZen]

Thanks for coming out, hawksfan50!

An authority on the WHL that just saw Matt Dumba play for the first time