SSM Greyhounds 2018-19 Season Thread

[Old hound]

I haven't found anything in the media that even closely reflects this sentiment. Link please.

Wishing Conor a speedy recovery.

Milehighsticking.com

 

[HockeyPops]

Milehighsticking.com

Read that the other day. Where does it say anything about them being very critical of how the Hounds handled it?

 

[Marj44]

Sad news with Conor Timmins! Wish the guy all the luck, hopefully he can get medical help at a Brain Trauma Center or something. One of my favourite guys to watch as of late

An article from the Toronto Sun posted 12 hours ago has in it that Sheldon Keefe is expecting a decision on Rasmus Sandin to be soon. Sandin still isn’t playing but hopefully they determine his team this season sooner than later.
I still believe the Sault makes the most sense for him this year, here’s to hoping

 

[HockeyPops]

Very impressed at the apparent turnaround in the faceoff dot. Last night the team won 36/61 faceoffs (59%) with all 3 of our centers winning more than half:
Frost 10/17
Hayton 14/23
McLean 10/18

In Sunday's game vs. North Bay we killed them in faceoffs winning 37/58 (64%)
Struggled a little against Kitchener on Friday 26/60 (43%)
Owned Flint last Wednesday 39/67 (58%)
So they had great success 3 out of the last 4 games. In their first 7 games they were beaten at faceoffs in all but one of them:
22/59 - 9/19 @ SAG
42/79 - 9/22 vs. NB
24/66 - 9/28 @ LDN
30/72 - 9/29 @ SAR
28/72 - 10/4 @ PBO
31/66 - 10/5 @ KGN
27/68 - 10/7 @ OTT

Add them all up it's only 204/482 (42%) for the first 7 games. But 138/246 (56%) in the last 4 games. Keep up the good work boys!

 

[PuckLife]

Very impressed at the apparent turnaround in the faceoff dot. Last night the team won 36/61 faceoffs (59%) with all 3 of our centers winning more than half:
Frost 10/17
Hayton 14/23
McLean 10/18

In Sunday's game vs. North Bay we killed them in faceoffs winning 37/58 (64%)
Struggled a little against Kitchener on Friday 26/60 (43%)
Owned Flint last Wednesday 39/67 (58%)
So they had great success 3 out of the last 4 games. In their first 7 games they were beaten at faceoffs in all but one of them:
22/59 - 9/19 @ SAG
42/79 - 9/22 vs. NB
24/66 - 9/28 @ LDN
30/72 - 9/29 @ SAR
28/72 - 10/4 @ PBO
31/66 - 10/5 @ KGN
27/68 - 10/7 @ OTT

Add them all up it's only 204/482 (42%) for the first 7 games. But 138/246 (56%) in the last 4 games. Keep up the good work boys!

Gotta say, thank god for Hayton's return. He is mostly playing against the opponents' top lines. It frees up Frost to play offensively.
Fingers crossed for Sandin's return.

 

[HockeyPops]

thank god for Hayton's return

Or thank the 29 year old Chayka...

 

[Old hound]

Most scouts I have seen in awhile at last nights game. There were a total of 8 NHL scouts mainly looking at Saginaw.

 

[Radar9]

Colorado Avalanche: What Happened to Conor Timmins?

The Colorado Avalanche are showing caution with one of their top prospects, Conor Timmins, as he battles concussion symptoms.

Colorado Avalanche prospect Conor Timmins has been unable to participate in any of the development camp activities. BSN Avalanche’s A.J. Haefele reported on Friday that he was being kept out due to a concussion. Adrian Dater went into a little more detail:
And then some good buddies of mine over at Hounds Insider went into more detail. Reading this made me sad:

Reading this made me mad:
No, not mad — code-red furious.
The Game 5 in question happened on May 11, 2018. Conor Timmins had signed his entry-level contract on March 2, 2018 — two months previously. He already had the next step in his future secured. He already had the GM of his new NHL team, Joe Sakic, stating he expected Conor to make the team out of training camp.
Conor Timmins had his dream right in front of him.
Why did he go back into that game? No way a 19-year-old kid knows how to cheat the concussion protocol. And no way a 19-year-old kid finishing his amateur career with his professional career already waiting would want to.
Do players make that decision? Absolutely. Alex Ovechkin has never had a concussion. However, do I think he would have played through a concussion during his Stanley Cup run this year? I would bet money in Vegas he would.
But he’s a 32-year-old man with a lot of money and a baby on the way. He knows exactly what’s at stake. And he knows exactly what he wanted — a Stanley Cup. I think you could tell him he’ll spend the last 40 years of his life drooling because of CTE, and he’d still make that decision.
Conor Timmins? No way.
I’m not saying that’s what’s going to happen. Let’s all keep our fingers crossed for this kid’s sake, for his future, that the Colorado Avalanche are being more cautious than the Soo Greyhounds apparently were. That they’re taking CTE and concussions in general seriously.
That they’re taking Timmins’ health seriously. That they’re not willing to trade his future for something meaningless like a development camp or a trophy.
I believe in the Colorado Avalanche on this topic. They have a good history of making sure a player is healed from his concussion before returning. They did so with Gabriel Landeskog, Matt Duchene and Erik Johnson at different times. All three of those core players went down with a concussion at one time or another, and the Avs kept them out of the lineup for extended periods of time.
They did so again with Jonathan Bernier last season. They went forth in the playoffs with their third-string goalie because Bernier was still battling concussion symptoms. And if that cost them the series, so be it
I’m sure the Avalanche have Conor Timmins’ best interests at heart. Too bad the Soo Greyhounds didn’t afford him the same care. Instead, it appears they just tried to wring out the last vestiges of utility from a player who was leaving the team anyway.
In future, if I were the Colorado Avalanche or any other team, I’d yank my player out of major juniors the

 

[Old hound]

Colorado Avalanche: What Happened to Conor Timmins?

The Colorado Avalanche are showing caution with one of their top prospects, Conor Timmins, as he battles concussion symptoms.

Colorado Avalanche prospect Conor Timmins has been unable to participate in any of the development camp activities. BSN Avalanche’s A.J. Haefele reported on Friday that he was being kept out due to a concussion. Adrian Dater went into a little more detail:
And then some good buddies of mine over at Hounds Insider went into more detail. Reading this made me sad:

Reading this made me mad:
No, not mad — code-red furious.
The Game 5 in question happened on May 11, 2018. Conor Timmins had signed his entry-level contract on March 2, 2018 — two months previously. He already had the next step in his future secured. He already had the GM of his new NHL team, Joe Sakic, stating he expected Conor to make the team out of training camp.
Conor Timmins had his dream right in front of him.
Why did he go back into that game? No way a 19-year-old kid knows how to cheat the concussion protocol. And no way a 19-year-old kid finishing his amateur career with his professional career already waiting would want to.
Do players make that decision? Absolutely. Alex Ovechkin has never had a concussion. However, do I think he would have played through a concussion during his Stanley Cup run this year? I would bet money in Vegas he would.
But he’s a 32-year-old man with a lot of money and a baby on the way. He knows exactly what’s at stake. And he knows exactly what he wanted — a Stanley Cup. I think you could tell him he’ll spend the last 40 years of his life drooling because of CTE, and he’d still make that decision.
Conor Timmins? No way.
I’m not saying that’s what’s going to happen. Let’s all keep our fingers crossed for this kid’s sake, for his future, that the Colorado Avalanche are being more cautious than the Soo Greyhounds apparently were. That they’re taking CTE and concussions in general seriously.
That they’re taking Timmins’ health seriously. That they’re not willing to trade his future for something meaningless like a development camp or a trophy.
I believe in the Colorado Avalanche on this topic. They have a good history of making sure a player is healed from his concussion before returning. They did so with Gabriel Landeskog, Matt Duchene and Erik Johnson at different times. All three of those core players went down with a concussion at one time or another, and the Avs kept them out of the lineup for extended periods of time.
They did so again with Jonathan Bernier last season. They went forth in the playoffs with their third-string goalie because Bernier was still battling concussion symptoms. And if that cost them the series, so be it
I’m sure the Avalanche have Conor Timmins’ best interests at heart. Too bad the Soo Greyhounds didn’t afford him the same care. Instead, it appears they just tried to wring out the last vestiges of utility from a player who was leaving the team anyway.
In future, if I were the Colorado Avalanche or any other team, I’d yank my player out of major juniors the

I agree, when this happened people in our section were shocked that he came back in that game. I personally think the greyhound organization does what is best for the team, not the player. I hope the best for him

 

[three dog night]

Wish Conner all the best and a full recovery I had a have a couple concussions and still feel the effects especially with weather changes there not to be fooled around with.

 

[HockeyPops]

Thanks for the article Radar. I now found it on the web. It was posted over 3 months ago which is why I had trouble locating it.

Not sure if this reflects the feelings within the Avs organization, or just those of this blogger.

 

[OHLFan90]

The Friday Primer: Can the 67’s Stay Hot?

Soo game gets a shout out

 

[HockeyPops]

This was posted a few days ago on Sportsnet. Goes into some detail about the impact Hayton has had since he got back. Nice read.

CHL Notebook: Barrett Hayton returns to Greyhounds ready to be a leader

 

[saska sault]

Its early.. but.. the Hounds are off to a good start and have lots of young players in major roles. If we continue to improve, there wont be any selling this year. I said earlier.. top end talent dominates in junior hockey, a small amount of complimentary players can take you a long way...

 

[Radar9]

Its early.. but.. the Hounds are off to a good start and have lots of young players in major roles. If we continue to improve, there wont be any selling this year. I said earlier.. top end talent dominates in junior hockey, a small amount of complimentary players can take you a long way...

Sorry saska but i strongly disagree on the part of( there wont be any selling this year ) they barely beat Kingston tonight ,hope they do sell this year

 

[soo hound girl]

Its early.. but.. the Hounds are off to a good start and have lots of young players in major roles. If we continue to improve, there wont be any selling this year. I said earlier.. top end talent dominates in junior hockey, a small amount of complimentary players can take you a long way...

Dubas and Keefe are apparently gonna make a decision in the next week or so on where Sandin is gonna play this season apparently it won’t be in Sweden so either the Marlies or the Hounds hopefully they do us a solid and send him back so we can be a contender this year again.
Question for you guys how many 18 year olds play in the AHL ?
If Sandin returns do we trade a couple of our dman for a 19 year old winger?
Is McKay racking up the points because he is playing with Frost?
McKay drafted in the 4th round Frost drafted in the 4th round not bad drafting I must say let’s go for it again this year we don’t need our second round picks back we will find talented players in other rounds.
Do not sell this year , Sandin and a solid 19 year old winger or 2 and we are in contention no doubt about it

 

[saska sault]

Sorry saska but i strongly disagree on the part of( there wont be any selling this year ) they barely beat Kingston tonight ,hope they do sell this year

Second highest winning percentage and goals scored in the Western Conference. Currently sitting at 1st in the conference.. which i dont think will last.. but if they happen to sit at 3rd or 4th come trade deadline. You dont sell... the last 2 "super teams" we had here.. last year and the year we the year we lost to McDavid.. we got beat by teams that on paper we had the talent edge. If you have a good playoff spot and a chance at a run.. you go. Every time. It's not always the best team on paper that wins, it's the team that clicks and finds a system that works. Owen Sound and Kitchener both almost took us out last year when we put out an all star team every shift... lots of talent. Let the kids develop and keep our vets. Trust the GM and the scouts.

 

[soo hound girl]

Sorry saska but i strongly disagree on the part of( there wont be any selling this year ) they barely beat Kingston tonight ,hope they do sell this year

We had our 16 year old goalie in net tonight not that he played bad but you put Villalta in net and we win that game in regulation

 

[three dog night]

Like this Frost guy.

 

[Fischhaber]

Second highest winning percentage and goals scored in the Western Conference. Currently sitting at 1st in the conference.. which i dont think will last.. but if they happen to sit at 3rd or 4th come trade deadline. You dont sell... the last 2 "super teams" we had here.. last year and the year we the year we lost to McDavid.. we got beat by teams that on paper we had the talent edge. If you have a good playoff spot and a chance at a run.. you go. Every time. It's not always the best team on paper that wins, it's the team that clicks and finds a system that works. Owen Sound and Kitchener both almost took us out last year when we put out an all star team every shift... lots of talent. Let the kids develop and keep our vets. Trust the GM and the scouts.

I'd normally agree, but the scouts aren't very effective without picks. We've painted ourselves into a corner and have left ourselves with no other choice. We have to make some subtractions in order to ensure a sustainable winner. That's the way it is and no amount of wishing will change things.

 

[saska sault]

I'd normally agree, but the scouts aren't very effective without picks. We've painted ourselves into a corner and have left ourselves with no other choice. We have to make some subtractions in order to ensure a sustainable winner. That's the way it is and no amount of wishing will change things.

I will agree to disagree for now. We have found gems in late rounds and import selections... I know we will have a down year or two soon but that will happen regardless of selling off Hayton and Frost. Ride with them and see how far we get.. have the down years regardless and build through the draft again.

 

[SeaOfBlue]

I will agree to disagree for now. We have found gems in late rounds and import selections... I know we will have a down year or two soon but that will happen regardless of selling off Hayton and Frost. Ride with them and see how far we get.. have the down years regardless and build through the draft again.

There is always the possibility of doing a hybrid sell-off. Like what London did last year. They sold off their big names like Thomas, Pu, Jones, etc. but brought in guys who could help immediately and into the future around their younger core (Dunkley, Popov, and even spent picks on Raaymakers). Selling off Hayton and Frost does not mean you have to phone in the year, it just means you gain more assets that can be used beyond this year, and that could even mean by using some of them in trades to get guys who can help as soon as this year. The main thing is that you are more likely to win with Hayton and Frost, but if it's already an uphill battle as it is, then it would actually not be a terrible idea to see if some younger guys can step up with an increased role. That is also what happened with Foudy in London, and he went from a guy who arguably could have gone undrafted to a 1st round pick in 1/2 of a season.

I think at the very least you try to get something out of your OA's, Frost, Hayton and Villalta. I believe Tyler Johnson is still on your protected list and he can be a solid enough stop gap for half of a year after trading Villalta. It also gives Taylor a chance to take the reins before the start of next year, which is going to happen unless you bring in someone new. Howdeshell may not get enough in return to sell him, but Sambrook and Hollowell should easily get a couple of higher round picks and maybe some lesser OA's to replace them in the lineup. Then Frost, Villalta and Hayton could easily get former 1st round picks or younger guys on the verge of breaking out who could really help replace some of the quality lost, on top of a boat load of picks. With the amount of assets you'd pick up, you could prepare for a serious run as soon as next year.

 

[PuckLife]

There is no way they trade all of those guys. You need to keep some leaders to guide the young guys. I think it all depends on Sandin coming or not. Sell Frost and Sambrook at Christmas if we don’t get Sandin back. We will get a ton back for Frost. We don’t need to sell anyone else to restock most of our picks.

Just my opinion.

 

[HockeyPops]

Is McKay racking up the points because he is playing with Frost?

MacKay is a very good player. He has good hands as his breakaway goal shows and he finds a bit of space when he is in front of the net. But the real reason MacKay and Frost are both racking up the points is because Hayton is back. Hayton eats up so many tough minutes against the other team's top line, that he creates positive matchups for the Frost line. This is one way that Hayton contributes even when he is not on the ice. He makes the whole team better in so many ways.

We had our 16 year old goalie in net tonight not that he played bad but you put Villalta in net and we win that game in regulation

I have been very impressed with Taylor this season so far. That said, I don't think he was at his sharpest last night. The 1st and 3rd goals in particular I think he would have wanted back. That first goal he just whiffed on completely with his catcher. I agree that with Villalta in net last night we win that game in regulation.

Not sure what the scouting report was on the Kingston goalie, but the Greyhounds were shooting lots of pucks low into his pads. They easily controlled the play for the majority of the game, and maybe need to get better at finishing on some good opportunities. Even giving up those 3 goals, we should be able to put more than 3 in during regulation based on how the game went. The Soo outshot Kingston 31-24 and faceoffs were even 32-32. From my vantage point our cycle game was very good, winning many of the battles on the boards, and we managed the puck well, not giving up many (any?) odd man rushes, and we had quite a few ourselves. We really should have put in a few more goals the way we played.

 

[Fischhaber]

I will agree to disagree for now. We have found gems in late rounds and import selections... I know we will have a down year or two soon but that will happen regardless of selling off Hayton and Frost. Ride with them and see how far we get.. have the down years regardless and build through the draft again.

I strongly disagree with this. We're one of the younger teams in the league and if we have the picks to supplement the roster then there won't be any down years in the near future. Selling some vets allows us the ability to get quality talent in the draft, add veterans in a future deadline, and to give our young players a chance to shine this season.

If we don't sell then your scenario will come to fruition. Relying on late picks to build a contending team is a recipe for disaster. Guelph tried that and they were horrific for several years.