World Juniors

[RabidBadger]

Hope so, him and Raymond are my two favorite prospects. Beniers is becoming my new obsession for this draft class

I'll be darned. Turcotte responded to my call out by getting a goal

 

[Hen Kolland]

I can't wait to see if Zadina and Raymond mesh well, I think it's a match made in heaven.

The comparisons of Holtz to Zadina were always there. When I watch, I think that Zadina perhaps has a stronger IQ, or it may be that he’s more willing to be the set up man. Holtz does it time to time, but his tendency to be selfish shooting the puck is apparent when I compare to Zadina. Additionally, I think Zadina really does work his ass off; he never looks settled down (unless there’s powerplay possession) and works to retrieve pucks or create lanes. And maybe it’s a thing that pops up when playing for the Sweden team, but Holtz at times just looks like his controller unplugged.

In the end, the history of Raymond and Holtz is a nice one. They do play well off each other, and they have created a lot over time. My hope is that Zadina can fill that void, but also that the way Zadina plays forces Raymond’s game to elevate further because he’s really at his best when he’s a multi faceted threat...not acting like a concierge for Holtz. And for Zadina, he looks like he’s going to be a good player, but he just needs line mates who are skilled enough and smart enough to play off of. We saw the multiple chances he could create last year that were completely wasted because you’re trying to set up Helm or Glendening. It’s like being a parent trying to play catch with a toddler for the first time, Helm was happy to be there, but he didn’t know how to catch just yet.

 

[MBH]

Yeah, but he doesn't score. You described Draper for the most part. The offensive zone stuff you try to wave your hands about are exactly what separate a #2 center from a #4 guy.

Right now, Veleno would be Draper-level, offensively.
At his peak, Draper spent five years as a 15-G-35 point elite defensive C.
In 01-02, he was basically our second line center for our cup run.

Veleno's offensive peak should match that - at least.
I think he'll be more of a 20-30-50 peak guy, spending 8-9 years in a 40-50 point range.

 

[Pavels Dog]

For most of the Sweden/Russia game I wasn't really impressed with Raymond in what was also my first time seeing him in game action. He stayed on the outside in the offensive zone pretty much all game, with only a few decent shifts in the 3rd period. Is he always that much a perimeter player ? It made me think more of a Nyquist/Tatar type than star, which is very unappealing for a 4th Overall. Soderblom in comparison played much better.

He's a perimeter player but I don't see that as the negative you seem to do. He is, or at least has the potential to be, a much better playmaker than either Tatar or Nyquist. Just in the game against USA he actually had a few setups that could have easily resulted in goals and then people would be talking about the great passing plays by Lucas. One was setting up Söderblom in the slot who hit the post, and another was giving Sundsvik a half open net but he fired an awful shot way off target.
For playmakers, operating on the perimeter is not an issue.

He also has the ability to make moves to cut through defenses, he's not going to be Datsyuk, but he can circle through the offensive zone and then when an opening appears he'll use a slick move to get into the slot for a shot. This is something he does fairly frequently, he's just not (yet) good enough at finding the back of the net with his shots.

To me he has looked a little 'stiff' in his movements after the tumble he took against Austria. I would not be surprised if he has some minor issue, he hasn't looked like he moves quite as well as normally after that. But overall I think Raymond is a prospect that needs some patience. He's not the type of prospect that is going to jump into the NHL next season and dominate. Imo, he should probably stay in SHL one more year, play WJC next year as well, and then we'll see.

 

[ChadS]

It looks like losing Henriksson and Eklund really ended up hurting this Swedish team. Niederbach is basically the only center who can make plays and Sundsvik focuses way too much on defense leaving Raymond & Holtz outnumbered most of the time. And I'm not saying that they're not to blame, Raymond and Holtz should both have at least 3 goals by now with their chances regardless of who their center is.

It's kind of strange that neither Raymond, Holtz or Gunler are on a line with Niederbach. Maybe losing their head coach is also showing, they've made very few if any changes to the top lines despite the struggles.

 

[Henkka]

It looks like losing Henriksson and Eklund really ended up hurting this Swedish team. Niederbach is basically the only center who can make plays and Sundsvik focuses way too much on defense leaving Raymond & Holtz outnumbered most of the time. And I'm not saying that they're not to blame, Raymond and Holtz should both have at least 3 goals by now with their chances regardless of who their center is.

It's kind of strange that neither Raymond, Holtz or Gunler are on a line with Niederbach. Maybe losing their head coach is also showing, they've made very few if any changes to the top lines despite the struggles.

Having Eklund would have created an option to split Holtz and Raymond, because Holtz-Eklund plays together at Djurgården. And they have been great.

Raymond-Henriksson-Niederbach could have been another possibility as pure Frölunda-line. Just go with their system all guys know.

 

[raymond23]

My takeaways through the group stage:

Viro - Admittedly, I haven't watch much of Finland. He's a great skater but that's about it.

Johansson - Pretty skater who floats on the ice. Was great at first but struggled against Russia and USA (like every Swedish defenseman). He's had a lot of trouble defending the rush and in the corners but has been great when he gets in space. Lots of potential there.

Niederbach - He's made a lot of crafty plays in tight. Looks comfortable on the cycle, especially behind the net. His skating concerns me... I can't think of one instance where he transported the puck using his legs. He's got a chance to be a good player if he can find his legs.

Soderblom - I've been a huge fan since he started putting up points in his D+1. Just comically big and skilled. People keep talking about his skating being a downside but I see the opposite, players his size aren't supposed to be able to skate like him. I love how he wants the puck on his stick. He obviously needs to get stronger but he also needs to get tougher, he's kinda soft on the puck/player unless he's controlling on the cycle.

Raymond - For some reason I seem to be alone on this but I've been so impressed. Smart, smooth, skilled and competitive. He has earned every single chance he's created with little reward on the stat sheet. If this kid had the space that other stars have been given he would be getting a lot more love. Unfortunately Sweden refuses to forecheck and be hard on pucks, plus his center never even enters the offensive zone. It's amazing how similar this is to Zadina's last WJC performance - zero puck luck and even less support (where you at Holtz?). I would like to see him finish some chances plus be more effective on the power play. Outside of that, you can't ask for much more... this kid is legit.

 

[lightthelamp13]

I am pretty shocked at how poorly Sweden moves the puck. For a D core that had a lot of hype, they have been turning the puck over in their own end like crazy. Even when they have time to make a play, they blindly rim the puck around the boards and have to defend again. I expected a lot more out of Soderstrom on the blueline.

Holtz made some absolutely terrible plays last night too. Passes in feet, turning pucks over on PP, blatantly icing the puck for no reason. I really don't see where the playmaking is with him. He either shoots the puck or nothing. Without Henriksson there, Raymond has had a real tough time even getting the puck against the US and Russians. Not concerned with him whatsoever. He sees the ice so well and is so patient with the puck. He creates so many options in the offensive zone. Having troubles scoring but it is what it is.

Swedes PP unit is interesting too. 4 righties and a lefty. And the lefty is Soderblom as the net front. Not many options to shoot.

 

[r0bert8841]

That was a terrible game for Sweden. Raymond was the best player in the ice but his line mates were atrocious. That was very frustrating to watch.

 

[lilidk]

That was a terrible game for Sweden. Raymond was the best player in the ice but his line mates were atrocious. That was very frustrating to watch.

Split that first line