Your Mid-Season Grades

Samus

Registered User
Jul 28, 2011
55
31
Winnipeg
Forwards:

Andrew Ladd A+
Ladd has been by far the best Jet all season. He gives it every shift, he gets into the dirty areas, and has been physical. Ladd has been rewarded for his play and leads all Jets in goals and points.

Evander Kane A
Evander has lived up to his new contract and then some. He is a top shooter in the NHL and leads the Jets in hits and I have yet to get to his point production. I like his game this season, he is using a little more creativity than the one move he used all of last season and has shown a little bit playmaking skill.

Blake Wheeler B-
I don’t think we have seen the best of Wheeler yet this year. He has shown a little more to form the last couple weeks however. He is still working hard and using his speed even though he has had some tough nights so far this season. I find he has tried too hard and thus had pucks hop off his stick and fanned on some chances.

Bryan Little B-
What I like best thus far from Little has been his work on faceoffs. Little has also shown flashes this year but can still use a little more goal production.

James Wright B-
I have become a big fan of his. He wasn`t brought here to score goals, he was brought here to add size and play a physical game and has done just that. He skates real well and I like his play on the PK. I do believe this kid has a future here.

Alexander Burmistrov C+
Burmi has been very up and down this season. He has shown to be a very hard working player and has created goals by this. His defensive game is great and his skill is outstanding. Other games he disappears. What is an issue is if he can put it together and so far this season he hasn`t. He has struggled on the wing and I believe he is better suited as a centre. I don’t think we have seen his best hockey yet this season.

Olli Jokinen C
A bit of a disappointment to start. I do believe Olli can still produce and there is still a lot of season to go. What Olli has done great is added leadership, great on the faceoff, and added a little size something we sorely needed. Jokinen is a professional and I doubt he will take his lack of point production lightly as the season goes on.

Nik Antropov C
I think at this point we can all say Antro is a third line forward. I cannot put him down much though as he fits this role perfect. He does a lot of little things out there such as wins board battles. He is obviously noticeably slower than most guys on this team.

Jim Slater C
His minutes are down big time from last season which means his numbers are too. He still does a fantastic job in faceoffs and defensive shifts.

Mark Scheifele C
I liked what Scheifele showed during his stint here. He has great hockey sense and this is simply a skill you cannot teach. He also has a great wrist shot. He does need to work on his strength and his skating is an issue. (the guys in my group referred to him as Bambi legs due to this)

Chris Thorburn C-
I like Thorburn for the leadership that he brings and his willingness to stand up for his teammates but the hockey skills just don’t seem to be there anymore which is a shame. Or maybe his season from two years ago was a fluke? We may never know.

Eric Tangradi C-
Tangradi has shown flashes of physical game but I don't think thats what he is best at. Jets need a little more offense from him

Anthony Peluso C-
Pleasantly surprised with Peluso this season. Peluso is the right type of tough guy to have on this team. He skates real well for a big dude and does have great hands. He is much more useful than a Tanner Glass/Chris Thorburn.

Kyle Wellwood D
I was a fan of what Wellwood brought last season but I have noticed his speed (what he had anyway) has dipped below where it was last season which is not good news. He does have a great mind for the game, but the issue is he doesn’t seem to have it this year.

Antti Miettinen D
If there was a bad luck guy on this team Mittens would be that guy. In the games he has played he really hasn’t shown the same game he had back when he was a stud for the Wild a couple seasons ago.

Defensemen:

Toby Enstrom A+
It seems Enstrom was the heart of our powerplay this season. He was leading all NHL D in points before his injury. I don’t think anybody on this team can set up a play or move the puck better than he can.

Ron Hainsey B+
I admit to not being the biggest Hainsey fan but I cannot overlook his play this season. Sure he has his lapses however he has logged a ton of minutes and for the most part has done the job. If he could only play a little more physical at some point I’m sure he could change some people’s opinions on him.

Dustin Byfuglien B
Buff got off to a monstrous start this season but the injury has slowed him. A big time plus has been his conditioning which looks to be in control. If Buff can get back to the game he had pre-injury this grade can easily go to an A+++

Zach Bogosian B-
Since returning from injury Bogosian has slowly returned to his normal self. He seems to have continued from where he left last season and has brought physical play and has shown some of his offensive side (nice rush on the pp a couple weeks back). I really like Bogosian’s play right now.

Zach Redmond B-
Pre injury this kid looked like he could become a solid dependable option on D for us. IMO he didn’t even look much like a rookie out there. He made some smart plays and pinched at the right times. Really hope he recovers as he will be a player going forward here.

Grant Clitsome C+
While Clitsome does have the odd breakdown here and there, he has been much better than some say. For a mere waiver claim/Oduya filler he has surpassed expectations. He is better suited to a #5/6/7 role IMO

Mark Stuart C+
Stuart is as advertised, a hardnosed physical D who finishes his checks and isn’t afraid to drop his gloves. He has been exploited a little with extra minutes due to injuries.

Paul Postma C
Postma has shown flashes this season. He possesses a great shot and offensive ability. With that said, he does still need to shore up his defensive skill. There may have been times like others on D where he was exposed due to playing more minutes than he should have.

Goalies:

Ondrej Pavelec B-
Pavs is going to be one of those guys during his career where we can expect a softy or two during games. While he has however shown flashes of being an above average goaltender in this league consistency seems to be an issue here. As some pointed out there have been occasions where goals given up have been “perfect shots†and I tend to agree. Winning games when the team in front of you only scores a goal or two also isn’t very easy as has been an issue this season. He gets the higher grade as he does have games such as last night where he makes the big save and keeps us in the game when we have no business being in it.

Al Montoya B-
Monty has been one of my dark horses from the day we signed him and he is proving me right. He has started in some tough situations and has kept the Jets in games he has played. As far as expectations for a backup go he has passed. There is still room for improvement and I do believe if this were a full season he would have pushed Pavs and may have got 30 games. Big time upgrade over Mason.

Penalty Kill C-
This has been much improved of late, but when we have had a let down on the kill this season the flood gates have opened.

Power Play D
As far as this season goes it seems Toby has been the biggest key to the PP. We cannot get him back quick enough!

Claude Noel B-
Our road record has been much improved this season. I have also felt the line matchups have been alright. We cannot overlook the fact the coach must play what he has, while some may criticize ice time for some players we must remember where our depth is at this point. As of late I have noticed Noel has managed his bench a little better and guys who earn their ice have been given key situations. It is also important to note Noel has yet to have a “real†training camp. We may not get to see the full extent of the systems he and his staff want to implement until next season.

Kevin Cheveldayoff B-
I might take some flak for the grade however I believe his season began at the draft and so far our draft is looking like a good one. Trouba is a gem and finding guys like Hellebyuck and Olsen late look like steals. The free agent pick up of Ponikarovsky didn’t work out but one could understand the move. He came off a great playoff with the Devils; he had size, and showed some physical play. In the end we did pick up a future asset with a fourth round pick out of Poni, pretty much something for nothing and that’s a positive in my books. Jokinen hasn’t lived up to production expectations but he has brought added size down the middle and has helped improved our faceoffs this season. Not to mention he was also voted assistant captain, something that should not be overlooked. Both waiver wire pickups in Wright and Peluso have exceeded my expectations. We cannot criticize for a lack of trades or free agent pickups since these moves aren’t as easy to make as some here make them out to be. This team’s mission is to build through the draft and IMO he has done a fine job doing just that.

Overall C+
This team is better than they have shown at times this season. I don't agree with the last place predictions by TSN and Sportsnet but I do think we can compete for a last playoff spot.
 

Jet

Free Capo!
Jul 20, 2004
33,043
31,512
Florida
Im just saying Bro. I was told a .914 save % was average, Montoya's save % is .909 which is below averege, and yet somehow he gets an A.

I'm not playing this game with you. If you can't see that it's more complex than that you are more than entitled to think my grades are wrong.

I stand by them and I have legitimate reasons for them that someone with a critical eye will appreciate.
 

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