Confirmed with Link: Sabres sign Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to 3-year ELC

[sincerity0]

Why? For a goalie, there's not that much difference between international and NA games.

It is about bringing him over so Buffalo can better assist him. He gets time in a junior league where he can start almost every game, learn english to a higher level, and he likely will stay with a family that takes in foreign players.

IMO Buffalo signed him to an ELC so they could bring him over.

 

[Jim Bob]

The angles aren’t any different. Timing maybe. Agree on culture. I think he’d be better in Finland for culture, playing with pros.

Since you won't take my word for it...

Samsonov begins the difficult transition from Europe to North America

“It was paramount we got him over here,” Richmond said. “We've been trying for three years to get him over here. It's going to take him awhile to get him to adjust. Just the speed of the game and, not only that, just the intensity of our practice and how many shots and the demand that our coaches put on our goalies.

“Besides the angles and the North American game, I think just the work ethic that he's going to have to put forward and the time he's going to spend at the rink vs. what they do in Russia. He probably saw more shots today than he saw in a month of practice in Russia and this was nothing. For me, that's the biggest thing for him is to learn how to practice in North America.”

2014 Olympics: North American goalies face adjustment to big ice

That is especially true for goaltenders. The wider ice surface creates some key differences for goaltenders in terms of where shots are coming from and how the European teams structure their play, but that doesn't require sweeping changes for the goalies.

"I think there will be [an adjustment] for them initially," said Mike Ayers, an assistant coach at Boston College and former national goaltending coach for USA Hockey. "I always felt like it was easier to go from an Olympic sheet to a smaller sheet. There will be a little adjustment, but they're pros. They’ll pick up on it very quickly."

 

[Der Jaeger]

Yes there is.

Going from the big ice to the smaller rink changes the timing of plays and angles of shots immensely.

Then you have the day to day culture change stuff that he will have to adapt to.

You wrote the bolded above. It's a 180 degree arc. The same arc exists on both sizes of ice sheets. I've played on both. The difference is that shots come from different angles based on the wider surface allowing wingers and D to play wider. They also can slow down the game more.

But the actual angles are exactly the same. Goalies play shots based on where on the 180 degree arc the shot comes from. Even in the second post, it says the goalies don't require sweeping changes. Because they don't.

 

[Jim Bob]

You wrote the bolded above. It's a 180 degree arc. The same arc exists on both sizes of ice sheets. I've played on both. The difference is that shots come from different angles based on the wider surface allowing wingers and D to play wider. They also can slow down the game more.

But the actual angles are exactly the same. Goalies play shots based on where on the 180 degree arc the shot comes from. Even in the second post, it says the goalies don't require sweeping changes. Because they don't.

The wider ice surface causes the angles to change because it is about angle+distance.

It also changes where you want to angle rebounds.

 

[Der Jaeger]

The wider ice surface causes the angles to change because it is about angle+distance.

It also changes where you want to angle rebounds.

I'm not following you. The distance changes due to the wider ice surface. But that angles are all still the same on the 180 degree arc from the center of the goal line.

 

[Jim Bob]

I'm not following you. The distance changes due to the wider ice surface. But that angles are all still the same on the 180 degree arc from the center of the goal line.

Goalies 101: Cutting Down The Angle - InGoal Magazine

11 Visual Targets for Hockey Goalies – Weiss Tech Hockey Drills and Skills

Targets 4 & 8 change on an international ice surface.

The triangulation of plays is different with the wider ice and that affects how goalies have to play things.

It's not just about the arc around the net. Angles include the goalie's depth and the positioning of the shooter and every other player on the ice.

The wider ice surface changes how plays develop and that affects the angles that goalies need to read and react to.

 

[Icicle]

The wider ice surface causes the angles to change because it is about angle+distance.

It also changes where you want to angle rebounds.

Your own quotes downplay the difficulty in adjusting though.

 

[Jim Bob]

Your own quotes downplay the difficulty in adjusting though.

The only place where it downplayed the transition was talking about veteran goalies making the switch for tournaments like the Olympics.

The Capitals want to get their prospect goalie over to North America as soon as they can to help him with the transition. But, what do Mitch Korn and the Capitals know...

 

[Icicle]

The only place where it downplayed the transition was talking about veteran goalies making the switch for tournaments like the Olympics.

The Capitals want to get their prospect goalie over to North America as soon as they can to help him with the transition. But, what do Mitch Korn and the Capitals know...

I thought he was only selected in the OHL draft because they knew he'd come over, so I don't get why posters are getting huffy over this? Regardless of whether he comes over now or not, he will get a couple years in NA before he ever sees the NHL anyway.

 

[Jim Bob]

I thought he was only selected in the OHL draft because they knew he'd come over, so I don't get why posters are getting huffy over this? Regardless of whether he comes over now or not, he will get a couple years in NA before he ever sees the NHL anyway.

Players get drafted in the CHL Import Draft and don't come over all the time.

Necas, Chytil, and Liljegren all went in the top 15 picks of the 2017 CHL Import Draft and they never played a game in the CHL for the teams that drafted them.

 

[Der Jaeger]

Goalies 101: Cutting Down The Angle - InGoal Magazine

11 Visual Targets for Hockey Goalies – Weiss Tech Hockey Drills and Skills

Targets 4 & 8 change on an international ice surface.

The triangulation of plays is different with the wider ice and that affects how goalies have to play things.

It's not just about the arc around the net. Angles include the goalie's depth and the positioning of the shooter and every other player on the ice.

The wider ice surface changes how plays develop and that affects the angles that goalies need to read and react to.

I don't have time now to take a look... will later and reply.

 

[Tsyolin]

 

[Jim Bob]

I hope he gets some sweet graphics printed on his new Bauer gear.

 

[Dingo44]

AWESOME.

Think I'll go watch Sudbury play November 10 in Sarnia and January 3 in Windsor. Of course, I hope he plays those nights.

 

[LaxSabre]

Too bad Sudbury wasn't invited to take part in the OHL Summer Showcase that is returning to the HarborCenter - August 31-September 2. Hamilton/Erie/Windsor/Flint are the four teams - playing a round robin - one game per day. Sudbury (replacing Flint or Windsor) could have been the "home team" by default as he would have been the only Sabres prospect playing. Oh well, like Dingo44 said - it should be a good event regardless.

(There will be someone in attendence that weekend that used to wear the Blue and Gold. Mike Weber is now an assistant with the Windsor Spitfires. Hopefully I get to attend one of the days and get my Mike Weber jersey signed!)

As for Sabre fans here in the Buffalo, New York - they can see U-P-L when Sudbury travels to Hamilton to play the Bulldogs or Niagara Falls to play the IceDogs or Erie to play the Otters. I'll have to check the OHL schedule to see when those games are being played.

 

[Gabrielor]

So, contract will slide then?

 

[Dingo44]

Too bad Sudbury wasn't invited to take part in the OHL Summer Showcase that is returning to the HarborCenter - August 31-September 2. Hamilton/Erie/Windsor/Flint are the four teams - playing a round robin - one game per day. Sudbury could have been the "home team".

I went to that last year. Worth your time anyway - lots of fun.

 

[dotcommunism]

So, contract will slide then?

It would have anyway since there's roughly a 0% chance of him playing in 10 NHL games this season.

 

[cybresabre]

I hope he gets some sweet graphics printed on his new Bauer gear.

Yes, some sweet day-glo orange graphics.

 

[jBuds]

I love this move

 

[Jim Bob]

Yes, some sweet day-glo orange graphics.

I don't see that working with the Wolves' Blue/Grey colour scheme.

 

[Reddawg]

This is a great move for UPL, we're going to really see what we've got this year.

 

[26CornerBlitz]

 

[joshjull]

 

[Duddy]

No he is horrible. Someone should tell him.