Windsor Spitfires 2021 Offseason Thread

Status
Not open for further replies.

OHLTG

Registered User
Nov 18, 2008
16,432
8,375
behind lens, Ontario
Yet the club has really done nothing post season in close to a decade other than win a bid to play in may....

Would you rather the club had struggled with mid-round picks? Aside from the "I haven't mentioned this in a while" idea, I'm not sure what you're trying to prove.
 

2023

Registered User
Oct 3, 2019
851
469
If the past seasons had went as many suggested they would have been set up for three or four years. They didn't, it's too late now but while they aren't contenders IMO they're not far of if they were to take action now. I don't think we would be waiting three to four years to see another contender. They could contend in two years if they acted now/this season.

As you've said, their draft picks are decent and I agree they are for a team looking to make a pick in every round for the next five drafts. With that base of picks moving out any 02s that have good to very good value would double their picks and bring back decent to good 04s. If they could get anymore 03s and/or 04s that show promise to report along with some luck in the upcoming draft they could be a solid team next year with assets to back themselves up while not having to go into full tank mode.

Cuylle and Foudy would return a couple of 2nds and a decent 04 each, especially they get off to a good start and show they are what people thought they would be. Both have done relatively well in the AHL, they've grown their games and shown they can handle that type of pace. They should also be able to carry that back and take on leadership roles.

McDonald and Robinson could each bring back a couple of 3rds or so, maybe more, maybe a bit less depending on how their season's start. McDonald in particular has been bounced around this line up the last two years. Every time he showed promise it was right back to the fourth line.

I believe the OAs are already set for next year. They'll start with Medina in goal, Renwick on D and Maggio up front. A fair amount of high end assets went for them and right Maggio is a 4th line player on most teams, 3rd line on this team while Renwick is an unknown. 02s are our OAs next year and with the connections they aren't getting traded and even if they did the return would be pretty low barring some amazing seasons from them this year. That leaves McDonald and Robinson as the odd men out next year. They haven't been too happy under Letowski according to speculation around here so if that hasn't been fixed and Letowski returns that likely makes for a tough start to the season with roster already if things are still simmering.

If there was a chance to get a solid return for D'Amico Henault, not some mid/late round pick I would move them and backfill with a couple of cheaper options. If the value isn't there then keep them.

As for teams in the West in comparison to Windsor?

Erie is a couple of steps behind Windsor. Looking at their roster from last season they only have a couple of 02s/03s with any type of experience. On top of that they have a few 2nds between now and 2025 and not much else in the 3rd/4th rounds. They didn't sell as much as they should of and like Windsor they've been going through the motions the last couple of seasons. Both teams peaked in 2017 and both teams are behind where they should be in a rebuild. Windsor is further along.

Flint was building for 2020/21 and because of what went on they've missed their window. 2019/20 they tried to take an early, blew by Windsor along with many others but they were gearing up more for the season that never happened. Their roster will be somewhat depleted and inexperienced but in terms of picks they're right there with Windsor with Windsor having an extra 2nd I believe and Flint having more 3rds/4ths when combined. Windsor is likely ahead of Flint but depending on the OAs that they return Flint has a chance to make up some assets that would keep them going forward right in line with Windsor if Windsor stands pat again.

Guelph just went on a Memorial Cup run a couple of seasons ago and as I mentioned a number of times last year, the moves they made early put them right back into a similar position as Windsor last year. They have pretty much the same assets, a more experienced and deeper 02/03 group and are further along in development than Windsor. Are they a top tier contender? Not right now and if they wanted to move everything they have they could be closer than Windsor. The unfortunate thing for Guelph was that there were players at the deadline that blocked trades otherwise they would be much, much further ahead of Windsor right now instead of just three or four steps ahead. They have fewer holes than Windsor with similar assets and a slightly better roster.

Kitchener is in a tough spot. They have no 2nd round picks for the next three years, they went all in for 2019/20 and but came up short of assets to really go over the top. Most players they were likely counting on to recoup draft picks through trades in 2020/21 will be graduating with a couple hanging around for an OA year. They'll be going full rebuild but if they can get a few of their high end prospects to report that'll be here for another year or two, get enough back to recoup those 2nds they'll be in a better position than Windsor next year if Windsor stands pat this year. A lot of ifs but this year Windsor currently is further ahead than they are. Kitchener has had much better luck/results getting higher end kids to report than Windsor so while they won't be contending this year they'll be in the playoffs.

London, everyone's measuring stick. Windsor has a couple more draft picks, not many but London has the overall much better depth and size of their 02/03 draft classes with a number of 03 prospects waiting in the wings. Windsor has the pick advantage but one solid deal gives London the advantage. London far and away away the better roster starting with Brochu who will likely be one of the top goaltenders in the league. They have prospects and players that will bring in very good returns as well as others that will make an impact on their season. It's not even close.

Owen Sound is similar to Erie at the moment in terms of roster. They had an older roster that was probably built more for 2020/21 with a small group of 02s/03s. Their draft picks are close to Windsor with Windsor having a couple more 2nds/3rds/4ths combined, but not many. Advantage Windsor here. Owen Sound is probably two years away.

Saginaw is similar to Erie except they were going on a two year run, 2018/19 and 2019/20 with 2020/21 being their time to sell. They have a small 02/03 group that has any experience although if Lennox is on his game they'll have a solid asset there come the deadline. Their picks are thin and it'll be tough for them to do much. Advantage Windsor.

Sarnia is a step below Windsor in terms of roster and draft picks. Depending on they get back in OAs that could even things out a bit in both roster and picks. They don't have a lot of 02/03 depth on the back end and up front they are a bit thin but their 03 class is probably a bit ahead of Windsor while Johnston is probably the best of both teams for the 03s. They should be battling it out with Windsor much of the season but I would give Windsor a slight advantage.

SSM is like Sarnia except they are more on par with Windsor. Windsor has an extra pick or two maybe and a couple of more 02s on their roster but the quality of the 02s, outside of Foudy and Cuylle is probably advantage SSM. Like Sarnia it'll depend on their OA situation. They built for 2020/21 and while it shows looking at their 2019/20 roster they've also shown an ability to grow and pull from an every deepening prospect pool and have become consistently better at maintaining a competitive team from year to year. High end 02s, advantage Windsor, draft picks are a small advantage Windsor while their depth 02/03 players and potential OAs goes to SSM. I would rate them about even with any advantage going to whoever makes the moves to improve or not sell. SSM has not really sold off in about 6 or 7 years and if there had been a season this past season the expectation would have been to sell. Here's the thing, without selling they and Windsor are pretty even, if they sell even a couple of pieces they'll likely be ahead of Windsor by quite a stretch next year if Windsor were to stand pat.

So London and Guelph are ahead of Windsor, Sarnia and SSM are basically right there with Flint now too far behind depending on their luck with returning players. The remainder are a step or more behind Windsor at this point. Today I would rank them for playoffs, based on Letowski returning and Windsor doing nothing and the other teams having just a bit of luck with returning players.
1 London
2 SSM
3 Guelph
4 Sarnia
5 Windsor
6 Flint
7 Kitchener
8 Erie
9 Saginaw
10 Owen Sound

It's way too early to make any real predictions but simply basing it on who's returning from their 2019/20 rosters, draft capital available to deal, players available to be traded, teams ability to attract prospects, teams willingness to make deals and recent history and consistency of how the team has been run. The past is not always indicative of the future but more often than not when you have people who have been involved for any length of time ti can be telling of what to expect.

Windsor in 5th, I was guessing 6th before I took a closer look seems about right based on what I laid out. Can they take their division? Yes with some moves but London and Guelph are tops in the conference IMO. Even adding when Guelph is a better team and capable of matching Windsor on moves Windsor likely doesn't get beyond the 2nd round.

For Windsor to take the division SSM and Sarnia have to be looking to sell at least a couple of pieces or have no luck in returning OAs. Windsor needs to improve on Ladd as an OA D, Henault as well and have Robinson be here and take a big step all around and Sobolev be what most are hoping for. So one, preferably two top 2/4 D. Windsor also needs to hit on a top tier import up front along with McDonald showing he can be a top 6 forward and if Letowski is back, McDonald gets consistent playing time. They also need a 2nd line LW so D'Amico can play 3rd line LW with Zito and Maggio. Finally Medina needs to be a top 8 to 10 goaltender that can be consistent every night and Downey has to be ready to go at this level for 20 games or they need an experienced back up.

All of that, Guelph doesn't make too many moves and London, well they'll have to deal with London and yes this team can compete for the conference. It'll wipe out their draft capital and we'll be headed for another 3 to 4 years of scraping by to hopefully make the playoffs with only Johnston, McDonald and Robinson as moveable assets unless Medina would accept a deal in his OA year. I don't think even with those moves Windsor gets out of the conference and if they do I think whoever comes out of the East will be the best team in the league even before the playoffs or the trade deadline.

Even if Windsor were to sell I think they still finish 6th, maybe 7th if they have a rough patch but they'll have enough picks to go on a two year run if they have the p[layers to make that run with with next year being a year they tweak the roster a bit to finalize the core for the following year. They would get more value from McDonald and Robinson in deals this year than next unless those two have outstanding years.

Yes a run is possible and within the conference for two rounds of playoffs even realistic but does the cost of likely two rounds of playoffs outweigh the future benefit of selling for a multi year run in two years with next year being a very good year as well?
Wow you have way to much time to write this
 
  • Like
Reactions: TheGremlin

2023

Registered User
Oct 3, 2019
851
469
They have Cuylle, Foudy, Johnston and hopefully Medina. They have decent assets to make a pick every round going forward but very few assets to compete with teams with better rosters. Those four players are not enough to contend with and at the moment the rest are depth/role players.




So they only have 4 players? I have 1 question?
How many goals did Canada have in this tournament? How many points did Johnston
Have? Do you think Foudy will help the team by skating around in circles?

They have middle of the pack and lower quality OAs.

They have middle of the pack and lower quality 02s and 03s.

Their D has middle and bottom pairing Dmen, no Dmen that would be top pairing Dmen on almost any team in the league.

They have 3 true top 6 forwards that could play a top 6 role on almost any team in the league, the rest would be 3rd or 4th liners on most teams based on past performance compared to their peers.

20/21 was predicted as a run year if they had all of Afanasyev, Angle, Douglas and Corcoran back. At least two of those four weren't going to be back, Corcoran and Afanasyev. A lot of those predicting 21/22 were basing it on them moving at least Afanasyev and Corcoran at the deadline to add assets and players, likely two solid 02s that could play in the middle 6 and probably 3x 2nds and 2x 3rds minimum then moving Angle and Douglas at the deadline in 20/21. None of that happened which means they didn't add depth and they didn't add picks. They also went and moved more 2nds/3rds in the summer of 2020 to add Renwick. Why isn't 21/22 still a go for it year? Didn't add players and picks while moving out picks to add an unknown quantity of a Dman who has family with history to the organization. The difference between picks? 6/7 2nds and 3/4 3rds plus a couple of decent 02s on the roster. If they made those moves in 2019/20, even after losing the 2020/21 season and didn't spend on Renwick who may or may not pan out they would still have likely been able to contend. Without them they are worse off than when they started the 2019/20 season.

There's more and more teams that are becoming competitive for multiple years. They are getting more playoff rounds on a more consistent basis while Windsor has 5 playoff wins since 2011. They are also rebuilding/retooling in less time and have about one down year out of every four. Do they all win championships every year? Of course not but they are all serious contenders three out of every four years instead of once every four or five years. They constantly have solid rosters, a consistent stockpile of draft picks, no need to spend big every time they want to push for a run and consistently are getting prospects to report. Windsor? Still stuck in the same four or five year cycle train of thought. Most of them took one year, not all where they sold big, held assets and built for a couple of years by making picks in the draft to build their own prospect pool, are getting bigger name players to report and always have prospects ready to step in or move for assets so they don't need to sell big every year. When was the last time Windsor put all of that together? 2006/07 and 2007/08 which led to Memorial Cups in 2009, 2010 and a conference final in 2011. Had Rychel not gotten carried away when he had his son it could have continued with regular playoff appearances with wins and getting out of the first round. He lost sight of the bigger goal and it cost this team for the last decade with only 2017 to show for any of it and that was done the hard way. When this team gets back to that 2006/07 mindset of moving everything of value for one season and gets players and picks back, shows restraint when they have an early one time shot like they did in 2007/08 we could have a team that can go on multi year runs without having to move everything after one successful season and get into a truly competitive every year situation. A team that make the playoffs four out of every five years, get pout of the first round at least fifty per cent of the time and be serious contenders two of those years without having to empty the cupboards, that's when most will stop talking about selling hard every year because they don't have the roster at the strat of the season or they have a decent roster but lack the assets to support it in a one time run.

Niagara just went on a run, finished last the next year and this year has about as many assets as Windsor, if not a couple more as well as a better overall roster. Windsor has the the better two 02s while Niagara has the overall better 02s and 03s group. Barrie is basically in the same boat as Niagara but with a better roster. than Windsor and more assets to add with. While these two are competitive every year they seem to bottom out one year, fight for home ice the next year and are contenders the third year, much more often than Windsor has been the last decade.

6th place or lower every year is getting tiring, especially when they never have the assets to support a decent roster when a season starts and they eventually get passed by com the deadline.
 

windsor7

Registered User
Nov 29, 2015
9,899
2,964
Would you rather the club had struggled with mid-round picks? Aside from the "I haven't mentioned this in a while" idea, I'm not sure what you're trying to prove.

Would like to see consistency.
And not just losing when the calendar turns to March
 

Cherrydon

Registered User
Jan 4, 2019
2,283
3,531
WINDSOR
Slighlty off topic, but I was impressed with Johnston in the U18. Stuck to the game plan he was given. Defensively minded and showed poise breaking out of his zone. Face off draws could improve a bit but he is showing maturity. Disappointed with the multiple stupid penalties McTavish took. Could have easily cost them the gold medal.
 

OHLTG

Registered User
Nov 18, 2008
16,432
8,375
behind lens, Ontario
Team hasnt made a 2nd round going on a decade.

:laugh::laugh: Now it's on purpose...

Slighlty off topic, but I was impressed with Johnston in the U18. Stuck to the game plan he was given. Defensively minded and showed poise breaking out of his zone. Face off draws could improve a bit but he is showing maturity. Disappointed with the multiple stupid penalties McTavish took. Could have easily cost them the gold medal.

Four points in seven games; overall solid showing. I'm looking forward to what he can do next season!
 

ohloutsider

Registered User
Jan 13, 2016
6,711
7,498
Rock & Hardplace
Slighlty off topic, but I was impressed with Johnston in the U18. Stuck to the game plan he was given. Defensively minded and showed poise breaking out of his zone. Face off draws could improve a bit but he is showing maturity. Disappointed with the multiple stupid penalties McTavish took. Could have easily cost them the gold medal.
Yes liked his game, liked they used him on the PK. That is a skill the Spits will need this year. He is a key part going into the next couple of years.
 
  • Like
Reactions: OHLTG

RayzorIsDull

Registered User
Nov 16, 2007
14,407
3,209
bp on hfboards
I wouldn't be hitching myself to the Jodoin bandwagon. By all accounts he didn't perform that well in LaSalle, add in only playing 30 games there. It's quite a jump from Jr B to the OHL and add in the fact Jodoin his last game was Feb 23 2020. He will go into camp not having played a game in 19 months. Yes a lot of players will be in that boat but he's going to be really fighting an uphill battle to make the roster.

In regards to the division I think Sarnia will be an interesting team Perreault is a high end guy, you have real good 03's in Voit, Gaudreau. Once he gets acclimated to the OHL I imagine Namestnikov is going to put up huge numbers.
 

Teflon

Registered User
Jan 6, 2018
1,823
3,248
Lol ohltg yes I said that. Rarely may have been a bit strong but I stand by it. The odds drop considerably. Teams do ok with 4-7 picks. But not many of those names you listed are impactful players. Pretty much serviceable players which are not what I’d call great. They are ok. I’m not debating it with you, far to many of those here, seems everyone that’s ever been to a game has an opinion.
 

member 71782

Guest
The club's had plenty of success over the last five seasons with mid-rounders; the numbers don't lie.

2016 - Corcoran (2nd, no 1st that year), Playfair (4th, no 3rd that year), Angle (6th, no 5th that year) and Brock Baier (10th). Their first 3 picks then a goaltender drafted in the 10th.
2017 - They signed Staios (1st), Henault (5th), D'Amico (6th) and Frasca (7th) with no picks in rounds 2/3/4. Two of those players remain, two have been dealt. 4 of their top 5 picks.
2018 - They signed Foudy (1st), McDonald (2nd), Robinson (3rd) and Medina (3rd). They managed to trade the rights to Stevens for a conditional pick. Top 4 picks. Stevens was their 6th pick.
2019 - They signed Johnston (1st), Zito (2nd) and Jodoin (4th). Jodoin has played about 10 minutes and by all accounts likely won't be ready. This is the year they need a couple of those other picks to pan out. Top 3 picks.
2020 - They signed Abraham (1st), De Angelis (2nd) and Downey (2nd). They have to get a couple more signed from this draft this year.
2021 - TBD but based on recent history, the last 5 years they usually sign their first 3 or 4 picks and that's all that ever make it.

They've had no mid round "gems" since 2017 and those were basically out of a need to fill the roster. 2019 and 2020 we'll see if there's any mid round gems that make the team or not but my money wouldn't be on them signing any. Had they signed Kruszewski (9th, 2019) then you might have a case for recent mid round finds and not simply signing there first 3 or 4 picks or 4 out of their first 5 picks. There were some players, flyers worth signing but the problem, they wouldn't report.
 

OHLTG

Registered User
Nov 18, 2008
16,432
8,375
behind lens, Ontario
I'm not counting 2020 or even 2019 right now because of the pandemic. Even Luchuk didn't do anything the year after being drafted, so 2019's are given benefit of the doubt right now. In 2018, they signed four guys in the top three rounds and who knows what might happen with the rest of the picks. Before that, they had solid success mid-rounds. You give me a team full of Luchuks, Angles, Bokas, D'Amicos, sprinkled with some stars, and I'm good with that. This team has had some pretty ugly draft issues over the last 10 years, but they've the middle rounds have been fruitful.
 

windsor7

Registered User
Nov 29, 2015
9,899
2,964
I'm not counting 2020 or even 2019 right now because of the pandemic. Even Luchuk didn't do anything the year after being drafted, so 2019's are given benefit of the doubt right now. In 2018, they signed four guys in the top three rounds and who knows what might happen with the rest of the picks. Before that, they had solid success mid-rounds. You give me a team full of Luchuks, Angles, Bokas, D'Amicos, sprinkled with some stars, and I'm good with that. This team has had some pretty ugly draft issues over the last 10 years, but they've the middle rounds have been fruitful.

If so fruitful . Why is it comes March they done nothing.
 

member 71782

Guest
I'm not counting 2020 or even 2019 right now because of the pandemic. Even Luchuk didn't do anything the year after being drafted, so 2019's are given benefit of the doubt right now. In 2018, they signed four guys in the top three rounds and who knows what might happen with the rest of the picks. Before that, they had solid success mid-rounds. You give me a team full of Luchuks, Angles, Bokas, D'Amicos, sprinkled with some stars, and I'm good with that. This team has had some pretty ugly draft issues over the last 10 years, but they've the middle rounds have been fruitful.

I would give you Angle and Luchuk where as the rest were role players that were put in roles here they never would have seen on most other teams and that was due to a lack of talent on the team for much of the time.

Boka? I would take him any day of the week as a 3rd line PK specialist. His last two years he spent much of his time on the top two lines playing ahead of better talent. Now that's on coaching as to how he was used but he wasn't a "gem" from the mid rounds. He was a hard working player who had a talent on the PK and blocking shots.

D'Amico has been a top six player most of his time here because, like Boka they had a lack of talent. He showed he could score at times but lacked any form of consistency. Third line secondary scoring with a bit of grinding and agitating? Yes, but again that doesn't make him a mid/late round "gem".

Purboo was similar to D'Amico with an ability to handle all the traffic in front of the net to get a lot of clean up goals valued their time in the league over up and coming talent that should have surpassed them on the roster.. A kid with size who didn't use it to his advantage most of the time, was inconsistent when it came to scoring except for Luchuk's last half season before he was dealt. He was a decent addition to the PP but 5v5 he had some struggles at times. That's nota mid/late round "gem". That's a kid who everything had to be in place for him to succeed most nights. Not a bad player but how many teams in the league would have him in their top three or even top six?

Mid/late round picks have looked good in Windsor because Windsor lack high end talent much of the time since 2017. They were put into roles above their talent level and got to play more talented players than they would have on most other teams. That doesn't mean they had no talent or shouldn't have been in the league, it simply means the Spits lacked higher end options and the coach went with seniority over skill when younger, more talented players came into the system. When Purboo and Boka were put with Foudy and Cuylle at various times it didn't work out well for anyone most of the time.

Your judging their skillsets against the skillsets of other players on the same team they were on as well as how they were used. You need to judge them against other players on other teams in similar situations since much of the time they were here most of the team consisted of players with lower skillsets than they had. Would Boka, Purboo or D'Amico have been top six players on this team in 2017 if they were 18 or 19 at the time? If not then that tells you the type of players they were in terms of being mid/late round "gems". They were decent players, each brought a certain skillset but none were high end talent. They made it into the league and deserved to be in the league but that doesn't make them "gems", that makes them serviceable players who got a chance they probably would have never gotten on any other team due to the lack of talent on the team and how the coach valued their seniority when talent started coming onto the roster.
 

OHLTG

Registered User
Nov 18, 2008
16,432
8,375
behind lens, Ontario
D'Amico has been a top six player most of his time here because, like Boka they had a lack of talent. He showed he could score at times but lacked any form of consistency. Third line secondary scoring with a bit of grinding and agitating? Yes, but again that doesn't make him a mid/late round "gem".

Give me a 50 point spark-plug in the sixth round and I take it every time. Same with Purboo; 29-goals in 2018-19, over 220 straight games, and leadership... as a ninth-rounder!! Yes, it would have been fantastic to have huge superstars on the team every season, but these guys were given opportunity and ran with them. You give me another dose of their results and I'd gladly take it. Instead of going "they were good but not great", we should be blaming the lack of success on the higher end guys who didn't become "superstars", so to speak.
 

windsor7

Registered User
Nov 29, 2015
9,899
2,964
Give me a 50 point spark-plug in the sixth round and I take it every time. Same with Purboo; 29-goals in 2018-19, over 220 straight games, and leadership... as a ninth-rounder!! Yes, it would have been fantastic to have huge superstars on the team every season, but these guys were given opportunity and ran with them. You give me another dose of their results and I'd gladly take it. Instead of going "they were good but not great", we should be blaming the lack of success on the higher end guys who didn't become "superstars", so to speak.

And when games matter they fold like a cheap suit..
 

RayzorIsDull

Registered User
Nov 16, 2007
14,407
3,209
bp on hfboards
I would give you Angle and Luchuk where as the rest were role players that were put in roles here they never would have seen on most other teams and that was due to a lack of talent on the team for much of the time.

Boka? I would take him any day of the week as a 3rd line PK specialist. His last two years he spent much of his time on the top two lines playing ahead of better talent. Now that's on coaching as to how he was used but he wasn't a "gem" from the mid rounds. He was a hard working player who had a talent on the PK and blocking shots.

D'Amico has been a top six player most of his time here because, like Boka they had a lack of talent. He showed he could score at times but lacked any form of consistency. Third line secondary scoring with a bit of grinding and agitating? Yes, but again that doesn't make him a mid/late round "gem".

Purboo was similar to D'Amico with an ability to handle all the traffic in front of the net to get a lot of clean up goals valued their time in the league over up and coming talent that should have surpassed them on the roster.. A kid with size who didn't use it to his advantage most of the time, was inconsistent when it came to scoring except for Luchuk's last half season before he was dealt. He was a decent addition to the PP but 5v5 he had some struggles at times. That's nota mid/late round "gem". That's a kid who everything had to be in place for him to succeed most nights. Not a bad player but how many teams in the league would have him in their top three or even top six?

Mid/late round picks have looked good in Windsor because Windsor lack high end talent much of the time since 2017. They were put into roles above their talent level and got to play more talented players than they would have on most other teams. That doesn't mean they had no talent or shouldn't have been in the league, it simply means the Spits lacked higher end options and the coach went with seniority over skill when younger, more talented players came into the system. When Purboo and Boka were put with Foudy and Cuylle at various times it didn't work out well for anyone most of the time.

Your judging their skillsets against the skillsets of other players on the same team they were on as well as how they were used. You need to judge them against other players on other teams in similar situations since much of the time they were here most of the team consisted of players with lower skillsets than they had. Would Boka, Purboo or D'Amico have been top six players on this team in 2017 if they were 18 or 19 at the time? If not then that tells you the type of players they were in terms of being mid/late round "gems". They were decent players, each brought a certain skillset but none were high end talent. They made it into the league and deserved to be in the league but that doesn't make them "gems", that makes them serviceable players who got a chance they probably would have never gotten on any other team due to the lack of talent on the team and how the coach valued their seniority when talent started coming onto the roster.

This is well put. We are now past the 2017 late round bloomers/contributors to an OHL team. You absolutely need players like that but there's a difference between being a player and just a guy on a team. You don't want to slander players but for instance Playfair 18g in 184 career games probably had a chance at an OA slot if there was a season/ Yes he was a 4th rounder but he wasn't a guy that contributed much, not on NHL draft pick radar.

Is there a point in time you can keep a Playfair on a team? Yes when you mash your 1st and 2nd round picks out of the park, have a couple good imports and not have to depend on someone like Playfair and a younger guy can push him to the point where Playfair either improves and ascends or they move on from him.

Boka had value has a PK guy, 3rd line guy. Letowski fell in love with Boka to the point of playing big minutes, being the 6th attacker down a goal in a game.

I am torn on D'Amico his last couple years were solid. It's real tough to judge a player who has done the same thing both years but in 19-20 he had a 5 goal game which is a career night but over the other 60 games you put up 18 goals or 7 in your last 27 games depends how you want to view things.

As Teflon Don was referring to there is a diminshing returns on guys after the 2nd/3rd round. You can still find productive players but it's more spread out and even if you're productive that doesn't mean you're an NHL pick or finding yourself in the AHL and moving to the NHL one day.

This is why drafting and developing and developing a pipeline is so important. You can lose players early if they're an import/USA player draft and can play in the AHL early (Fischer). You can't insulate yourself against all losses but if you're smart with drafting and develop a culture of winning you can develop something special.

The magical under the radar class of 2017 late bloomers unfortunately didn't add much when it came to team success. After 2010 season and 2011 4/5 years later game 2015 or so with not much success. We are now close the 4 years past the 2017 Memorial Cup and hosting season with not much to show after things.

Will we a few years from now talking about how it will have been 8 years since the 2017 Memorial Cup or will ownership/management/coaching commit to a plan that will get this team to win a few playoff rounds in a season?? Stay tuned....
 
  • Like
Reactions: member 71782
Status
Not open for further replies.

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Ad

-->