Prospect Info: Traverse City Roster

[Frenzy31]

The Blue have released their roster.

Blues sending most of top prospects to Traverse City

I was surprised to see Bokk listed. I figured his season was started.

I figured we would be pretty solid up front, but week on the backend. But with Walman and Reinke playing with Mikkola and Noel. That will be stronger then last year, Walman had a really strong tournament.
This will all come down to goal tending. Last season we scored a ton but week goal tending killed up. This year, I hope that Fitzy will have things going.

Top to bottom, we are older the last year and likely stronger with better depth. We have two solid scoring lines and better defensive depth. I a,pm very excoted

Click to read more...

 

[542365]

That's a very solid roster. Hope they make some noise. Didn't someone say you can stream these games now?

 

[Chief Steele]

I think the Blues site will stream the games.. and it looks like we are sending a pretty stacked roster. very excited to see the results.

 

[Stealth JD]

That's probably as stacked of a Traverse-roster as the Blues have ever sent:

Forwards
18 Dominik Bokk (1st round, 2018)
33 Jordan Kyrou (2nd round, 2016)
36 Robert Thomas (1st round, 2017)
37 Klim Kostin (1st round, 2017)
51 Nolan Stevens (5th round, 2016)
52 Erik Foley (3rd round Winnipeg 2015)
53 Austin Poganski (4th round, 2014)
54 Adam Musil (4th round, 2015)
59 Mathias LaFerriere (6th round, 2018)
65 Alexei Toropchenko (4th round, 2017)
73 Bobby MacIntyre (undrafted)
74 Jared Thomas (undrafted)
83 Tanner Kaspick (4th round, 2016)
84 Peter Abbandonato (undrafted)
87 Daylon Groulx (undrafted)
Defensemen
39 Mitch Reinke (undrafted)
46 Jake Walman (3rd round, 2014)
60 David Noel (5th round, 2017)
61 Sean Allen (undrafted)
63 Trenton Bourque (6th round, 2017)
72 Joel Lakusta (undrafted)
75 Tyler Tucker (7th round, 2018)
77 Niko Mikkola (5th round, 2015)
Goaltenders
1 Joel Hofer (4th round, 2018)
31 Evan Fitzpatrick (2nd round, 2016)

 

[ort]

https://www.foxsports.com/midwest/s...ect-roster-all-games-to-stream-on-fsgo-082218

Here's Fox Sports saying they will be streaming the games.

 

[Bluesfan54]

Does anybody know anything about the undrafted players? "Forward" doesn't tell us much. I know it's EXTREMELY rare for an invited player to get a contract so I don't have much hope for a diamond in the rough, but just any information would be appreciated.

 

[Frenzy31]

We have signed a couple of players based on the tourney. Sergeev, Shattock. Fox was signed by another team....

I believe Allen was at last years tourney.

 

[Frenzy31]

Sean Allen is 20. Played for Oshawa - LHD. 50 games and 52 games the last two years. He had a positive +/- and didn't put up points.

Bobby MacIntyre - 5'9" Left winger - played in the ECHL and 5 games in the AHL. Spent his JR career playing for Sault Ste Marie. 35 points in 49 games for Jacksonville Icemen last year.

Daylon is 18, Righty. 5'11". Put up 19 points in 56 games last year. Just turned 18 in June so someone we may look at next year.

Peter Abbandato - Center Lefty. Played for Rouyn Noranda - 75 points in 28 games. Just turned 20 in March. 5'10" - 188.

Joel Lakusta - RHD - Just turned 20. Played for Prince George WHL. 42 points in 70 games. 6'2", 190.

We could use a RHD.

 

[Beauterham]

@BluesFan.

Well, it appears Bobby Macintyre has played for Drew Bannister at the Soo in the past so it's not hard to make that connection. Wouldn't be surprised if he gets a contract with the Rampage if he shows he's good enough to play in a depth role for the Rampage. Joel Lakusta seems to have 'okay-ish' numbers aswell and as we don't have a lot of righthanded defenceman depth I wouldn't be surprised if they're trying him out for the Rampage aswell.


Sometimes I wonder why specific players are invited to training camp. The Macintyre-link is obvious as is the invitation for Jared Thomas, I wonder about the others. Are these guys that have been on 'possible draft lists' from the past?

 

[EastonBlues22]

Does anybody know anything about the undrafted players? "Forward" doesn't tell us much. I know it's EXTREMELY rare for an invited player to get a contract so I don't have much hope for a diamond in the rough, but just any information would be appreciated.

Brock had this to say about Groulx before this past draft:

Daylon Groulx - Forward - Owen Sound Attack
Competitive scoring winger who really improved as the season progressed; his first in the OHL. The son of former OHL superstar Wayne Groulx, Daylon is a competitive scoring winger who really shows a knack for operating within 5 feet of the net. Seems to have a really good head for the game. I think that eventually this guy will be a 30 goal scorer at the OHL level. As an NHL prospect, he's average sized and does not possess elite skating ability. That will be a big strike against him, even if his compete level is quite high. Bound to receive more responsibility next year and I think I would want to see how he handles that first before throwing a draft pick at him.

Brock says averaged sized, but most of what I've seen about him suggests undersized, which makes the skating an even bigger concern.

MacIntyre is older (almost 22) and smaller LHS LW who played in the ECHL last year.

Brock had this to say about him back in Jan 2017:

Bobby MacIntyre - Forward - Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
Hate to toot my own horn here, but I called his offensive explosion in my preseason previews. I wrote, "A real wild card that I'll throw out there is Bobby MacIntyre in Sault Ste. Marie. He has fit in extremely well in that lineup and they'll be able to score a ton of goals this year. He could be an 80+ point player quite easily." And sure enough, he currently sits 5th in league scoring and is well on his way to that 80+ point plateau. He's long been a guy that I've felt had the talent level to be a top scorer in this league, but he lacked the strength and confidence to extend rushes and play through traffic consistently. Since the trade to the Soo, it's like something has clicked for him and he's been a real force. Brings so much energy to the ice and never gives up on a play. Has a lot of skill with the puck too and creates time and space for linemates with patience and poise. He's definitely undersized, but with the way the pro game is played now, there is a place for guys like MacIntyre.

Abbandonato is another overage, undersized forward (though a center). Don't know a whole lot about him, honestly, since I almost never watch the QMJHL. He did produce well in that league last year, so there's that.

I do know that he was invited to the Canucks summer camp. He didn't seem to leave much of an impression, but take that with the grain of salt it deserves.

 

[Default]

Anyone know how this roster stacks up against the other teams this year?

 

[OSA]

Bobby MacIntyre was originally a relatively high OHL pick (2nd Rd) for Mississauga. After lacklustre results during his time in Mississauga, he was traded to the Soo and showed strong improvement right through to the end of his OHL career. I’m personally not convinced that he is good enough to have a lengthy pro career in the AHL or equivalent, but a Drew Bannister coached team will present his greatest opportunity.

Daylon Groulx has been a disappointment for me. I was expecting a much more substantial leap in terms of production for him this past year, but he really never showed any signs of this being the case at any point throughout the year. He is feisty and can definitely play an agitator-type role, however, he is very prone to taking selfish and unnecessary penalties. Any hopes he might have of carving out a future at the next as a 4th line player will be dashed if he can not reduce the frequency with which he takes penalties.

 

[Bluesfan54]

Thanks for all the info, guys!

 

[MissouriMook]

No Helt or Krag? Seems like if the organization had them in their plans they would be there.

 

[Majorityof1]

No Helt or Krag? Seems like if the organization had them in their plans they would be there.

We don't want to embarrass the other teams too bad. It'll already be lopsided with us fielding Thomas and Kyrou on the same line. Can you imagine if the follow-up punch was Krag and Helt? The other teams just wouldn't bother to show up. That's the recipe for the type of beating that could mentally scar the prospects on the other team for life.

 

[bluemandan]

That's the recipe for the type of beating that could mentally scar the prospects on the other team for life.

Playing the long game, I like it. That'll pay off in the 2025 WCF.

 

[Brian39]

I usually don't care too much about results in this tournament, but I legitimately want to win this year. We're bringing two forwards who a lot of people believe are NHL ready and a few others that people think have an outside shot at playing NHL games this year depending on injuries.

The expectation should be that this team dominates.

 

[Beauterham]

I know Thomas has been named on the roster but I wonder if he actually is going to play, or just like rookie camp, he's just tagging along to train and look after his injured ankle.

 

[simon IC]

I know Thomas has been named on the roster but I wonder if he actually is going to play, or just like rookie camp, he's just tagging along to train and look after his injured ankle.

Now you are scaring me! If that ankle is not 100%, I don't want Thomas anywhere near the ice. We already know what we have in RT. I certainly don't want him sustaining or aggravating an injury for the sake of a prospects tourney.

 

[stl76]

Now you are scaring me! If that ankle is not 100%, I don't want Thomas anywhere near the ice. We already know what we have in RT. I certainly don't want him sustaining or aggravating an injury for the sake of a prospects tourney.

Haha I wouldn't worry too much Simon. There's no way the Blues training/medical staff will let Thomas play if he isn't 100%...heck, they've already held him out of prospect camp.

 

[Frenzy31]

I really don't think we have to worry about it. No offense, but prospects week is garbage and exposure for fans only. It doesn't do anything for the prospects themselves. 3 v 3 is a joke when trying to evaluate a player and drills really don't do much in 1 week. This is truly a week for the fans.

He was just coming off a long playoff run - unlike most everyone else.

I actually expect him to play because this is a great lead up to camp. Get the blood pumping and gets the kids in live action. At this point, if Thomas hasn't been working out hard this summer, then there is likely no way for him to make the team this year. No player can come into camp cold, especially someone on the bubble.

 

[TK 421]

I really don't think we have to worry about it. No offense, but prospects week is garbage and exposure for fans only. It doesn't do anything for the prospects themselves. 3 v 3 is a joke when trying to evaluate a player and drills really don't do much in 1 week. This is truly a week for the fans.

He was just coming off a long playoff run - unlike most everyone else.

I actually expect him to play because this is a great lead up to camp. Get the blood pumping and gets the kids in live action. At this point, if Thomas hasn't been working out hard this summer, then there is likely no way for him to make the team this year. No player can come into camp cold, especially someone on the bubble.

What now? Thomas will make the Blues out of camp, him recovering from a high ankle sprain sustained during the Memorial Cup run isn't going to effect anything other than when he can resume competing which evidently will be at Traverse. If not Traverse then certainly by the time main camp starts.

He can't play in the AHL this season and there's not a chance he's going back to juniors. So where exactly do you think he's going after Doug's comments about envisioning Thomas playing with ROR and Tarasenko later this year?

 

[STL fan in MN]

I would imagine Thomas is just fine. There doesn’t seem to be any concern about him being ready for camp so I’d expect the same for the TC tourney. The tourney starts just a week before regular camp starts so if he’s not healed but Sept 7 then he’s likely not ready by Sept 14 either.

He’s had a while to recover now. And I doubt Army would be dreaming up lines that include Thomas if there was a big concern on if he’d be ready for camp or not, so again, I suspect he’ll be just fine.

 

[Dbrownss]

What now? Thomas will make the Blues out of camp, him recovering from a high ankle sprain sustained during the Memorial Cup run isn't going to effect anything other than when he can resume competing which evidently will be at Traverse. If not Traverse then certainly by the time main camp starts.

He can't play in the AHL this season and there's not a chance he's going back to juniors. So where exactly do you think he's going after Doug's comments about envisioning Thomas playing with ROR and Tarasenko later this year?

*OHL Championship





Those who are worried about Thomas need to remember that he's a cyborg

 

[Frenzy31]

What now? Thomas will make the Blues out of camp, him recovering from a high ankle sprain sustained during the Memorial Cup run isn't going to effect anything other than when he can resume competing which evidently will be at Traverse. If not Traverse then certainly by the time main camp starts.

He can't play in the AHL this season and there's not a chance he's going back to juniors. So where exactly do you think he's going after Doug's comments about envisioning Thomas playing with ROR and Tarasenko later this year?

I am well aware of that. My point is if his injury has kept him off the ice and from training this summer, that he will not be in playing shape come training camp and likely to be back in the OHL. Yes he has put grown it, it having him spend 2 months trying to get back into playing shape shouldn’t be done at the NHL level.

This is all based on unnecessary worry about him not being able to play in traverse due to his injury in the post season.

He still has to make the team. They are not just going to give him a roster spot.