October 31, 2009 | Posted by Leslie Treff
Both the Rangers and the Wolf Pack lost badly last night. Hartford was walloped by Hershey 6-0, and rightly or wrongly, the poor play on the ice caused a flurry of transactions this morning. I personally don’t think that Miika Wiikman and Ryan Hillier deserved to be sent back to Charlotte today, but down they went.
True, Wiikman got shelled last night, but I think that either Chad Johnson or the now called up Matt Zaba also would have bombed against the Bears. Additionally, Zaba did not play exceptionally well in the ECHL since he’s been there last weekend to deserve to be called up again, but maybe there is a method to this goaltending rotation that I am not aware of.
On the bright side, Derek Couture, who played well enough in training camp to win a spot, should be on the ice tonight for the Pack. He and Ryan Garlock, recalled this morning, will be a welcome addition to the offense sorely lacking on the team. Chris Chappell, also called up from Charlotte, expects to be less of a contributor, but this is his opportunity to show readiness for this level. I do think the offense will be better tonight against Providence, but the netminding is worrisome.
As for the Rangers, last night’s 3-2 loss was worse than the score. The team looked more than a little lost, as lines were juggled and key players were missing. Yesterday’s call-up, Dane Byers, scored his first goal, and actually looked like he fit in well in a bottom six role, but the top two lines were pretty much ineffectual, as the team’s dependence on Marian Gaborik to spark the offense was revealed once again.
But neither of these losses is what I want to write about today.
This is somewhat off topic , but what has me walking around with a heavy heart today is something that happened on the ice in Kitchener, Ontario last night. During an OHL game against the Erie Otters, Ben Fanelli, a rookie defenseman, was severely injured on an illegal hit. Today he lies in the hospital in critical condition.
We all know that hockey is a physical and can be a violent game, and we live with it. Sometimes, terrible accidents happen that leave players severely injured and families devastated. But it feels different today. This was an illegal hit from a player whose sole job it is to be a tough guy. An overager, who is more than four years older than Fanelli, and has a total of 13 points in almost 125 games in the OHL. Oh and about 360 penalty minutes.
I am purposely not mentioning his name, because while I believe that what this young man did was wrong, I don’t think that its him that should be vilified. Basically he is a lesser talent guy, who is put on the ice for pretty much one reason–to intimidate–and most teams in junior hockey have at least one of these players. It’s hard to totally fault the kid; his only option to stay in hockey was to perform the job that he has been given. And what is clear today is that this kid is absolutely devastated that he severely injured another player.
The question is why have an overager fill this role on the team? The disparity in girth and playing experience between 16 year olds and those “in their 20th year” is enormous. This kind of thing is very predictable in major junior hockey; it’s not the NHL, where generally the players are men, have filled out, and for the most part, know how not to turn on a play so that this kind of result is less likely to happen.
The CHL is the main supplier of NHL talent, a quality organization, that many fans and industry folk see as the apex of junior hockey. Why can’t the league take another look at the purpose of having overaged players on their teams? It is one thing for those players to be late-developers with skill (ala Ryan Callahan) or foreign top players who have been drafted and still need adjustment to North American play (ala Tomas Kundratek). It’s quite another to allow a team to use those spots for goons who have already demonstrated that they don’t have what it takes to move on to the next level.
It’s an awful thing, what happened last night. So many young and not so young lives forever affected. While the tragic events can’t be undone, the CHL can take steps to be as sure as it can be that what happened last night doesn’t happen again. The first of those steps should be to change the overage rules, so that these roster spots are used for hockey talent, not for goons. Not only would it make it safer for the younger players, but we might also get one or two extra NHL players that only get a chance because overage spots are used strictly for development purposes.
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October 28, 2009 | Posted by Leslie Treff
Late yesterday afternoon, the Rangers recalled PA Parenteau to the NHL team. The call-up was almost certainly because the status of Marian Gaborik is in doubt for tonight’s game, but it may be just the chance that Parenteau needs to make the jump to the NHL.
If he is on the ice tonight against the Islanders, this will not be PA’s first appearance in an NHL game–during the 2006-07 season, the right wing appeared in five games for the Chicaco Blackhawks.
But since the Rangers acquired Parenteau from Chicago on October 11, 2007, he has played with the Wolf Pack. A quick look at his career shows a star in the QMJHL, where during one of his three major junior seasons (2001-02), Parenteau posted 118 points. After he turned pro in 2003, PA bounced around the AHL (and a short stint in the ECHL) for four years before being traded to the Rangers in exchange for a 2008 conditional pick.
After two successful seasons in Hartford, this past summer, Parenteau was looking to sign with a team that would give him a chance in the NHL. The Rangers agreed to give him a long look, and in July, PA re-signed with the team. He got a very long look in training camp, playing in all the Rangers pre-season games until he was reassigned to Hartford on September 22nd. At the time, Parenteau was told to be ready for a mid-season call-up.
No one can argue that Parenteau has slacked off since his AHL return. As of the call-up, he was tied for the AHL lead in points (14) with another veteran, Andy Wozniewski. And as I mentioned yesterday, his chemistry with Corey Locke on the power play has been outstanding.
PA is very offensively minded–with a very quick release, excellent shot selection, and amazing accuracy. What has held him back in the past was that he made some very poor decisions with the puck and often hung on to it an instant (or more) too long. So while just looking at the stats, its hard to comprehend why PA has not been an NHL player for a few years, poor decisions and turnovers don’t show up there. The NHL teams saw it though, and he remained in the AHL.
I have to say that I was disappointed to see that Parenteau continued to make some really questionable moves this weekend, even while he was putting up points and helping the Pack win two games. While this may not sink a team at the AHL level and will most probably be missed when evaluating the scoresheet, at the NHL level, it will stand out like a sore thumb and can single-handedly lose games.
So, as of last weekend, PA still had some adjustments to make for his game to fit at the NHL level. I, for one, am rooting for him to do it and stick with the team. But, if he gets some real ice time and does not play well, this may be the last NHL chance he will get in his career.
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October 27, 2009 | Posted by Leslie Treff
Fewer transactions are expected this week than last, after the Pack won two games in three this past weekend. It is the beginning of the season, so the standings are not that important (the Pack are seventh of eight teams). What is important is how the team has started to come together, and how they well they played in the last of the three games in three days.
On Friday night, Hartford went up to Glens Falls and lost to the Adirondak Phantoms, the Flyers AHL team, by a score of 3-2. The Phantoms are a decent team, and the Pack were in it the entire game. It was a much better showing than the team had made the weekend before, as PA Parenteau and Corey Locke showed alot of chemistry as linemates. Both of the Pack goals were on the power play, and Parenteau recorded a goal and an assist on the night. One of the best things about the game was the reemergence of winger Dane Byers. Byers had looked quite ineffective in the earlier contests this season. Often looking uncomfortable on the ice, missing passes, falling down, one had to wonder if he was the same player that was on a point a game pace late last season. But Friday night, Byers showed up ready to play. He battled along the boards, went to the net, and was rewarded with a goal, as well as a promotion to the top line and more power play time. Not as good was the play of netminder Chad Johnson, who just could not make the key saves when he needed to. Every goaltender has to make one or two a game, and part of Hartford’s problem has been the Johnson just has not done that.
It was always the plan on Saturday night, when the Pack returned home to the XL arena, for Miika Wiikman to be between the pipes. But Wiikman proved with his performance in a 5-2 win over the Lowell Devils that he should be the man in net for the foreseeable future. Not only did he save 34 of 36 shots, but his confidence between the pipes and ability to come up with the big save when necessary make him the clear number one at this point. It was Wiikman’s first win of the season, but it was a convincing one.
The Pack looked like a different team in front of the goaltender that they knew that they had confidence in. Defensively, the team was much improved with the addition of Mathieu Dandenault. In his first game with the Pack, it was clear that his experience and sure work in his own zone helped to stabilize the D. It was the second game in a row though that Hartford was unable to score at even strength. A definite concern going forward, but Sunday’s game showed that it would not be long before that issue would be alleviated.
The third game in three days usually leads to tired legs and a lagging game, but not the Pack on this past Sunday. It was a good test, because Hartford faced the excellent Worcester Sharks, who absolutely decimated the Pack in pre-season. This time it was Hartford defeating the Sharks 4-3. Time after time, Wiikman came up big in this game. His steady play, and now 2.35 GAA and 91.8% save percentage, are very impressive. The Pack put in three even strength goals out of four, including two by Evgeny Grachev, who looks like he might be waking up from whatever slumber he has been in.
Grachev, the top prospect in the Rangers system has, quite frankly, looked absolutely terrible until Sunday. I am not sure why, but his effort level was so low, he looked like he was asleep on skates for most of the first eight games. He would flit in and out in front of his own net and go for a few pucks along the boards, but the effort was just not there. His skating was slow and lumbering, and he would not make the plays he should have when passing. A slow start is one thing, but this lack of effort was very discouraging.
Sunday, however, Grachev looked a lot better. Not yet where he should be, but better. He worked along the boards, and fought some to get in position. He naturally has the gift of being able to separate himself from the opposition when in the offensive zone, and his ability to do this directly led to one of his goals. The other was scored when he was in position deep in the zone.
The Wolf Pack need both Byers and Grachev to use their big bodies to make room for the smaller Locke and Parenteau. If the two bigger wingers play like they did on Sunday, and Wiikman is as solid as he was in net, this team will be doing well.
Add to that the play of Brodie Dupont, who was at center this weekend but is usually playing on the wing. Although not appearing much on the scoresheet, this weekend Dupont was making many plays behind the scenes–along the boards, the takeaways, while not taking any penalties.
Bobby Sanguinetti and Ilkka Heikkinen were also performing at a high level in the three games. Although until this weekend, it was Heikkinen that was clearly the better of the two, Sanguinetti showed some finesse that was impressive in both Saturday and Sunday’s games and looks to be getting more and more confident. Michael Sauer looked a little more offensively inclined in the three games too. Unfortunately, he had to leave the game Sunday with a shoulder injury, but his game is improving.
There are still a few weak points in Hartford’s game, but this past weekend was a great improvement over the week before. Hopefully, Dandenault will stay with the team long enough and Wiikman will continue his steady work to give the team the confidence to move consistently up the standings in the coming weeks.
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October 25, 2009 | Posted by Leslie Treff
Just a quick note that my Rangers prospect organizational analysis is posted on the Hockey’s Future site. Strengths are at left wing, center, and defense; the system weakness is on right wing. While there are no stellar netminding prospects, either of Scott Stajcer or Chad Johnson could be future NHL netminders. Check out the analysis at http://www.hockeysfuture.com/articles/11520/rangers_organizational_depth_analysis_fall2009/.
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October 23, 2009 | Posted by Leslie Treff
After the Hartford Wolf Pack’s two horrible games last weekend, it was clear something needed to be done. As I said after Friday night’s game in Portland, the Pack looked lost out on the ice. Things were slightly better on Saturday, in Miika Wiikman’s 2009-10 AHL debut between the pipes. But the close 2-1 loss against Springfield is not as much an indication of this team’s effectiveness in any area of the ice, as it is the fact that the Falcons are in not much better shape than Hartford.
The Rangers and the Pack were quick to make a few moves. The first was to recall Rangers prospect Ryan Hillier from the ECHL Charlotte Checkers. For Hillier, a winger who spent the entire 2008-09 season in Charlotte, this is his first AHL call-up. The Pack have three games coming up in less than three days this weekend, which should give Hillier his first AHL action. But although he made a decent showing during the pre-season with the Pack, Hillier was not really very impressive, and he is not expected to make much of an impact at the AHL level.
What is ironic about all this is that, just a week ago, Tomas Zaborsky signed with Assat of Finland, after being demoted from the Pack to the Checkers. Disappointed with the reassignment, he refused to report, and spent a couple of weeks checking out his options. While Assat may work out for Zaborsky, how foolish was it for him not to hang on for a couple of weeks and see how the Hartford situation played out before deciding to go back to Europe? Especially if you believe what Zaborsky just told me last month, that he was pumped to play in the AHL this season and that it was still his goal to play in the NHL.
There is no question that Zaborsky has more of an upside than Hillier, and would have been the first call-up. Despite the fact that, according to the Rangers, they eventually agreed to Zaborsky’s move to Finland, the young player’s actions have certainly hurt his NHL aspirations. Sometimes these things really are numbers games, and players have to be what they consider to be unreasonably patient. This one is a real shame, as Zaborsky could have had a real impact in Hartford this season.
After promoting Hillier on Monday, on Wednesday Hartford signed NHL veteran defenseman Mathieu Dandenault to a PTO (professional try-out) contract. This should temporarily somewhat steady the Pack’s very talented but almost completely inconsistent blueline. Ilkka Heikkinen and Bobby Sanguinetti have been the best Pack pairing thus far, with each blueliner getting better as the season goes along. But that is where the consistent improvement ends. Michael Sauer is up and down, and it does not help that he has been mostly paired with Brent Henley, who, while very tall, is not an AHL defenseman. And Corey Potter and Nigel Williams have been absolutely terrible.
To make room for Dandenault, a veteran had to be shipped out. Yesterday the Rangers announced that the veteran that was to go was Patrick Rissmiller, who was then loaned to Grand Rapids. Rissmiller is in the second of his three-year deal with the Rangers, and is not likely to see any action in a Rangers uniform any time soon (with Evgeny Grachev and perhaps even Dane Byers ahead of him). He is also not much of a loss to The Wolf Pack, as his play was uninspired and uneven at best.
In the final transaction this week, yesterday netminder Matt Zaba was reassigned to Charlotte. Even before being injured in the seasons’ opening weekend, Zaba was shaky in between the pipes. With Wiikman playing decently last weekend, Johnson high on the Rangers depth chart, and Zaba returning from injury, it was easy to make this choice. However, down the line, there may be some issues as to which two of the three Rangers’ goaltending prospects will be in Hartford for most of this season. Added to the mix is the fact that Ryan Munce, who is on an AHL contract but currently in Charlotte, may also be an NHL prospect. (Munce was drafted in the third round of the 2005 NHL entry draft by the LA Kings, traded to Tampa Bay, and let go. With good size and still only 24 years old, Munce was a top goalie at the ECHL level the past two seasons.) He looked very good in the Checkers’ opening game last weekend, and while Zaba will surely get a start in Charlotte as soon as he is ready, Munce will need to be factored in the AHL netminding race, if he continues to play well for the Checkers and no one of the other three goalies takes the reins in Hartford. UPDATE: Munce’s shoulder injury is more serious than originally thought, and he has been placed on the 21-IR. Zaba, who is just coming back from injury himself, will get a chance to prove himself over the next few weeks.
As to how much this will help the Pack this coming weekend and down the line, I think any shake-up is good. For the last few seasons, Hartford has started slowly and then picked up their game as the year went along. This may be one of those seasons, but the problem with thinking that is that there are fewer newcomers to this team than in the past, and the talent pool on the team is so much deeper. The team should have shot out of the gate. Although poor goaltending has been some of the problem, what is going on in front of the netminder is no better. To me, this is at least partially a coaching issue, so a good, mentoring veteran presence on the team will be very helpful. But is Dandenault that guy? And even if he is, will he stay long enough at this level to make a difference? (It’s no secret that Dandenault may be the Rangers’ next seventh defenseman.) Honestly, I have my doubts, but we shall see in the next few games. If there is no improvement, more of a shakeup may be in order.
The Pack take the ice at 7:30 pm tonight against the Adirondack Phantoms. If you can’t get to the rink, don’t miss out on the free AHL Live promotion. You can sign up and watch tonight’s live stream at http://ahl.neulion.com/team/console.jsp?fromfreenight=yes.
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October 21, 2009 | Posted by Leslie Treff
Around the NCAA–On Saturday, I updated you on the play of Derek Stepan and Ryan McDonagh in their first game of the season. The Badgers second game of the weekend, which resulted in a 1-1 tie with Colorado College, did not change any of those observations.
Sunday afternoon, Chris Kreider played in his first NCAA action as a member of the Boston College Eagles. It was the first time that I had seen him in action, and although it was just by video, certain things stood out. First, Kreider has excellent size and speed. Those were the attributes that had him so highly touted, and it was obvious on Sunday that what made him dominant in high school hockey will translate well against college opponents. Kreider played on the second line, at left wing, and considering it was his first regular season game, in a very hostile Vermont arena, he played very well. Kreider kept his cool, even when his team pretty much fell apart, and he played consistently. No question he is a player in transition, with some positioning and decision-making to learn, but in all, he has a good shot, nice size, and excellent speed. Impressive for his first game against an excellent opponent.
In addition to the NCAA prospects already mentioned in the past few days, it was Max Campbell’s first weekend in regular season play too. As a first line center for the Western Michigan Broncos, Campbell recorded two goals and two assists, including two goals in Saturday night’s 4-3 win. For that performance, he earned the game’s first star. Drafted by the Rangers as a potential power play specialist, he was not very noticable in the Blueshirts’ development camp, but if keeps putting the numbers up like he did last weekend, He will get a much longer look this coming summer.
The CCHA has yet to announce its players of the week, and while Carl Hagelin and Max Campbell are long-shots to get the award this week, if they keep up their performances, it won’t be long before their play is noticed on a conference-wide basis.
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October 17, 2009 | Posted by Leslie Treff
The Wisconsin Badgers played their first game of the season last night, and the Hartford Wolf Pack played their fifth. Both have some of the Rangers’ top prospects on their respective teams, and I had the opportunity to watch them play on video.
I say this because, as all who read this blog know, I don’t believe that you can see what’s happening on the ice anywhere near as well with the video, live streaming, or television. So when I am not at a game, I always let you know that.
I could see enough to tell you that Derek Stepan is something really special. His positioning, hockey smarts, creativity, passing ability, and face off skills are all excellent. The Badgers lost the game 3-2 (which we will get to later in this entry), but Stepan was almost perfect in his play all night. On his one assist, he moved around one defender with ease, and then drew another to him, so that he could complete a cross-ice pass to his winger Andy Bohmbach. At other times, he threaded passes in ways that are extremely unusual at this level. What impressed me most though was that, with all his creativity and puck handling skill, he still understands the importance of taking the puck north-south. Granted it was only one game, and he was not the first line center at the beginning of the night, but Stepan got a huge amount of ice time and was absolutely terrific.
Speaking of absolutely terrific, Michigan junior Carl Hagelin has been tearing it up early this season. In two exhibition games, he had four goals, including both game winners, and one assist. Then last weekend, promoted to the top line, he had a goal and an assist in a split against Alaska-Fairbanks. The Wolverines have the weekend off and then play against Niagara on Thursday evening.
In my final good NCAA news of the day, an almost forgotten Rangers prospect, Danny Hobbs, played a big role in UMass’s upset victory over national champ BU. Hobbs and UMass were badly outshot by the Terriers last night, but the Minutemen hung in the entire game, and early in the third period Hobbs, a sophomore winger, threw the puck in front and teammate Will Ortiz shot it home past BU netminder Kieran Millan for the game winner. The UMass netminder and Fort McMurray, ALB native Paul Dainton stopped 37 of 39 shots to get the win. I did not see the game and have not seen Hobbs play since early last season, but I plan to see him on the ice next month, and will let you know more then.
So that’s all good.
Now for the bad. I am starting to see more of why the Canadiens were disappointed in Ryan McDonagh and were willing to let him go. I actually watched the “tape” of the game twice, once just to focus on McDonagh, and I did not like what I saw. He is big and strong, and for a guy his size, he moves well. But his decision-making with the puck was terrible (can’t tell much without the puck because I wasn’t viewing it live). He does not move well along the offensive blueline and does not have the patience to wait until he has a good shot. He definitely cannot run a power play, and his decision to rush into the offensive zone with the puck with the game on the line, led to an odd man rush the other way and cost Wisconsin the game. Yes, he is tough and not afraid to throw his weight around, but he just does not look like he has what it takes to be a top pairing defenseman.
I will have to watch closely over the coming weeks, but McDonagh looks to be more of a 4 to 5 guy, not a 1 or 2. And that may be why Montreal was willing to let him go as part of the Gomez deal. Granted, he started slow in his freshman and sophomore years, but he is older and, as tri-captain, supposed to be a leader of the team. He did stand up for teammates twice, but his play was more freshman-like than what was expected of him. The Badgers play Colorado College again tonight, and hopefully, McDonagh improves his play, but last night, his play was very uninspired.
I would suggest that you watch the second game of Wisconsin’s weekend series with Colorado College, but it is not being televised outside of the Fox Sports North area. As many of you probably already know, if your cable/FIOS/satellite package has FOX Sports channels, you do get to see quite a bit of college hockey. The problem is that Fox Sports Central, which covers that area of the country, has only eleven Wisconsin games scheduled to be shown. After last night’s game, the next one is not until the weekend of November 6th and 7th (as part of the station’s coverage of the U of Minnesota).
But those who have ESPNU can watch Boston College play Vermont in their season opener tomorrow at 5 pm. The reason you might be interested is that the Rangers’ first round pick in 2009, Chris Kreider, is expected to make his collegiate regular season debut in this game. Considering that in last weekend’s exhibition game against the US NTDP U-18 team, he scored twice, including once while shorthanded, Kreider’s first real collegiate appearance should be an interesting one to take in.
And Hagelin’s next game can be seen on Fox College Sports Atlantic on Thursday at 7:00 pm when Michigan meets Niagara.
In other NCAA hockey broadcast news, the NHL Network is saying that it will continue its live game schedule for the 2009-10 season. No further info is available about this now, but when it is, I hope it will include some Wisconsin games.
Enough tv scheduling.
Although McDonagh’s play was uninspired last night, The Hartford Wolf Pack took the term to new heights last night in the team’s 6-3 loss in Portland. From the moment the game began I just could not figure out what system they were playing and where each player was supposed to be. Apparently, neither could they, as it went from bad to worse as the night went on. Maybe the players and coaches all had the flu, but except for one or two decent on ice performances, it was that bad. The effort and the tactics (i.e., the coaching) were a nightmare. And I kept checking my calendar, and it was still Friday, when they had all week to rest and prepare. I am stumped. Stumped as to the level of play, and stumped as to the coaching tactics used or not used last night. I have never really questioned the Pack coaching before, but last night, when a strong hand was needed and early intervention (an early time out) might have helped, it just did not happen.
There was one bright spot, and a couple of decent ones. The shining light last night was blueliner Ilkka Heikkinen, who continues to show maturity and poise in his play. In his own zone and on the attack Heikkinen makes excellent decisions and uses his shooting and passing skills in both zones very well. There is no question in my mind that, within a month or two, he will be NHL-ready, and it is he who should be the first defensive call-up to the Rangers. Bobby Sanguinetti is improving greatly in his play, and he continues to garner points, but he is just not there yet. Positioning and decision-making are still too slow for NHL play. Heikkinen, however, is almost completely adjusted to the North American style of play, and he should fit in very well with John Tortorella hockey.
Dale Weise continues to give a high level of effort and play with abandon. I am somewhat concerned that his offensive skills are at the borderline NHL level, but he can hit, make things happen, and fight, if necessary. Evgeny Grachev continues to grow in his adjustment to professional hockey. I am not sure why he did not get more ice time last night, but even with the mistakes he made, he was one of the better players out there, and he should have been ridden until the end.
Last week the Pack defeated Springfield, tonight’s opponent, by the score of 7-3. If the Pack offense and defense do not get going in the right direction, the score may wind up the other way tonight.
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October 15, 2009 | Posted by Leslie Treff
It seems that running Henrik Lundqvist is the new pastime among hockey teams in the United States and Canada. Five times in two games this week, Lundqvist has been knocked into his own goal. Each time, he looks stunned, and has gotten right back up and continued to play. Granted two or three times the contact was at least initiated by his own teammates, but in those cases, the opposition came crashing into the net, and a Rangers player tried to stop him and wound up either in the net with Lundqvist or pushing the opposing player into the helpless goaltender. Each of the other times, a penalty has been called. But penalty or no penalty, the problem still remains that, if this continues, Lundqvist will at some point not pop back up, and will instead be out of action for an extended period of time.
The question is, what to do about it?
Several times two-minute minors have been called, but even when the Rangers have scored on those penalties, it does not seem to stop the practice.
Of course, the league should warn all teams that this will not be tolerated. What exactly that means beyond a fine, I am not sure. And as far as I know, this has not been done yet. At the very least this should be done immediately, but the next step is not as clear under the current rules.
I think that we can all agree that we don’t want teams to have to hold up when they are following the puck toward an opposing team’s net. But there is a difference between following the puck and crashing into the goaltender because of it, and just running the netminder. It’s sometimes a little hard to distinguish in the heat of the game, particularly without the benefit of replay, but even on close calls, a team should take action to protect their most valuable player.
In my mind, it comes down to this. Instigator rule or not, some of the “tougher” Rangers players are going to have to make sure that opponents do not continue to run Lundqvist. It’s great that the Rangers are a team with skill and have been able to score goals easily and regularly, but if the team’s number one netminder is out for weeks or months due to a concussion or other serious injury he sustained because opponents were allowed to freely run him, the Rangers won’t be winning many more games.
Steve Valiquette is a great backup, and he is expected to play up to 20 games this year, but the Rangers don’t want him playing 40 to 50. If the team does not want that to happen, then some of the Rangers are going to have to step up and make sure it doesn’t.
Hopefully, the Rangers will send a loud and clear message to the Leafs on Saturday night that open season on Lundqvist is over. Failure to do so, could mean the end of a very promising early season.
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October 12, 2009 | Posted by Leslie Treff
After focusing on the Hartford Wolf Pack prospects for the last couple of weeks, tonight I went to watch the NHL contest between the Rangers and Anaheim Ducks. The Rangers defeated the Ducks by the score of 3-0 on special teams goals by Ales Kotalik, Artem Anisimov and Dan Girardi.
It was the Blueshirts’ fourth win in a row, and this team was a different group than the one I saw in the pre-season. Granted the Ducks were playing their second game in less than 24 hours (and didn’t really have their skating legs), but the Rangers played a pressure game, very cohesive and very effective against a team that has quite a bit of talent on its roster. There is a different feeling to this team than there has been in years. I believe that much of the change has to do with John Tortorella, and the coaching style he has implemented, but there is a different chemistry because of the changes in players too. Nine of the nineteen players that were on the ice tonight are under the age of 26; these players are hungry and are on the upside of their careers.
Almost all the play in the first period of tonight’s game was in the Anaheim end, and it took 13 minutes into the game for Anaheim to even register their first shot on goal. But the Rangers had to fight off frustration as the team was unable to put any of their 11 first period shots past Ducks’ netminder, JS Giguere. The second period was a more even contest, but neither Rangers’ netminder for the night, Steve Valiquette, nor Giguere gave anything up.
It was Sean Avery that stirred the drink early in the third period and got New York going. Tonight was Avery’s first game after suffering a freak pre-season on-ice injury. The crowd gave him an unbelievable reception and he clearly responded. He drew a penalty when the Ryan Whitney went after him, and the Blueshirts never looked back.
The power play has been a strong point of the Rangers this season, at least partially because the team finally has a quarterback in rookie Michael Del Zotto. On this particular sequence, the Rangers set up in the zone, Marian Gaborik came from behind the net, skated along the boards, and made a pretty little slide pass to Del Zotto. Del Zotto looked like he was about to shoot from the point, when instead he saw a lane and passed to Kotalik, who one timed the puck past Giguere.
It was a great play by all three, Gaborik for his moves with the puck, Del Zotto for his decision making and passing, and Kotalik for his shot. But Del Zotto is only 19 years old and just five months away from his last junior game. It seems that in almost every game (with the possible exception of Thursday’s game against Washington), he is extremely effective in making the power play work. Tonight’s assist means that he has five points in as many games, which ties Del Zotto with John Tavares for the league lead among rookies.
He plays with decisiveness and confidence, but Del Zotto says he does not always feel it, “every day its a new experience; every team has a different look and I just have to make adjustments with each time. Quarterbacking the power play is a big role for me, which is made so easier by the great players I have out there with me.” In talking about how he plays with the extra man, “You have to be thinking about where the puck is going next before it even gets to you. You’ve got to read things before they even happen.”
It’s one thing to know that, and quite another to be able to do it. Thus far, Del Zotto is exceeding all expectations and its beginning to be hard to remember that he is only 19 years old. He still is a little in awe though, marveling at how fast the game is, how strong the players are on the puck and how much harder it is to win the one-on-one battles at this level.
He knows that he has to perform every day and prove himself over and over, but says, “it’s a dream come true for me to be in the NHL, what I have always wanted to do, and the fans, they are so passionate about their hockey here. Especially after a goal, its unbelievable how great they are. I can’t even tell you how much of a pleasure it is to play here.”
Also excited to play in New York is Artem Anisimov, who scored the second goal of the night, also on the power play. This one was scored with Anisimov in the slot, after he stepped into a shot off a pass from Vinny Prospal. Again Avery was critical to the play–his hard work kept the play alive, getting a secondary assist for passing the puck to Prospal from behind the net.
Anisimov, however, has not had as successful a transition to the NHL as has Del Zotto. At times awkward, at others seeming to be bursting with potential, his adjustment to NHL play has had the more typical ups and downs. Not helping has been a lack of ice time, since he is on the third line, and tonight the top two lines were on the ice for close to three quarters of the game. But if Anisimov plays more with Avery and Kotalik, he may be able to make more of an impact with the club. We shall see how it plays out going forward.
The final goal of the night was shorthanded, on an empty net clear by another under age 26 player, Girardi. Brandon Dubinsky had taken a minor penalty and the Ducks put six skaters on the ice to try to score. Instead, Girardi, who has been struggling defensively of late, lifted the puck from deep in his own end, and it went into the empty net. It was kind of a strange end to an exciting final period.
The Rangers youngsters have now become the heart of the team. The average age of the team is under 28 years of age. Should Evgeny Grachev be recalled again, it will be even younger. Youth makes a big difference in energy and stamina; it also can make a big dfifference in mistakes, but thus far, the Rangers have avoided most such pitfalls.
The Rangers are at home again tomorrow night to face Toronto.
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October 11, 2009 | Posted by Leslie Treff
Before I get to the Pack, I wanted just to apologize for my scarcity this past 10 days. Apparently this hit in the head I received in Traverse City had some lingering effects, so I had to take a medical leave. In any case, my seems on straight now, so I am back to blogging and the Rangers and their prospects.
Last night Hartford played their second game in less than three days, and won their first of the season against the Springfield Falcons. The final score was 7-3 in the team’s home opener, and there were several bright spots, after a very disheartening first two games. Plenty of places to find game recaps, such as here http://www.courant.com/sports/hockey…,2857383.story (ignore the fact that the writer got the Springfield team name wrong) and here http://www.masslive.com/sports/index…wolf_pack.html, so what I want to focus on more today is how well the individuals are playing.
Goaltending
Let’s start in net. Neither Matt Zaba nor Chad Johnson have not been that impressive between the pipes thus far this season. Frankly, neither played that well in pre-season either, so this could be a long Fall into Winter. However, Johnson did have a good two periods last night, after being chased at the end of the second period in his professional debut on Friday evening.
To complicate an already troubled goaltending situation, at the end of the first period in last night’s game, Springfield’s Liam Reddox crashed into Zaba, who sustained a concussion and is out indefinitely. Miika Wiikman, who had previously been the number one in Hartford, and was sent down to the ECHL Charlotte Checkers less than a week ago on a rehabbing stint, has been recalled this morning (actually late last night, but the official announcement cam out this morning). Depending on how he plays over the next week, Wiikman may regain his number one position, and one of Zaba or Johnson may find himself in Charlotte. Because Wiikman appeared in a Checkers pre-season game last evening and had to fly to New England today, it is likely that Johnson, who finished the game with Springfield last night and played two periods on Friday night, will appearing this afternoon’s game against Providence.
Defense
Just a couple of weeks ago, I was drooling over the talent of the defense on this team. Now, I wonder what has gone wrong. After allowing 10 goals in two games, Head Coach Ken Gernander went with seven blueliners last night. I do think that it helped, as fewer goals were scored and only one at even strength, but there continued to be terrible positioning mistakes and giveaways by the D. Individually, Ilkka Heikkinen is improving by the game. He has a great shot, solid passing skills, and has started to play much better and aggressively in his own end. And for most of last night’s game, Heikkinen was paired with Bobby Sanguinetti, who played a much better game. After having a miserable night on Friday, last night Sanguinetti was moving up into the play much more, and showing the ability to quickly get back, even after he was deep in the offensive zone.
The Heikkinen/Sanguinetti pairing seems to work very well. The problem is that with two offensive D-men on the same line, it doesn’t leave much offense for the other two lines, and more importantly, the rest of the pairings aren’t working very well, so they are a defensive liability too. Gernander must know this and he actually started last night’s game with the more traditional pairing of Heikkinen with Corey Potter. The problem is that for some reason, the two don’t play well together. But I am not sure that Potter will play well with anyone right now, as he seems to have lost his way on the ice. Instead of playing a safe blueline game, Potter has been trying to play the new Tortorella style, and he just can’t do it well. It’s actually a shame, because to be effective (and he can be), Potter will need to go back to the less aggressive, work hard in your own zone, kind of play.
During most of the games Friday and Saturday evening, Potter was paired with Nigel Williams. Although they did not get burned for a goal last night and Williams has improved his defensive play, Williams is still struggling in that area and the two together look very shaky on D. I would rather see Williams with Michael Sauer and dropping Potter to the third pairing, playing on an almost exclusively defensive pairing.
Offense
Corey Locke and PA Parenteau are the mainstay of the Wolf Pack scoring thus far, with Locke particularly being a power play wizard. His good hands and nose for the net were put to good use time and again over the two nights. Also quietly in the background, but also impressing in his first professional season is Paul Crowder. Crowder does not appear to be a dominant player, nor a particularly flashy one, but he goes to the net, has good hands and the puck seems to find him. Gernander has noticed Crowder’s abilities and has given him quite a bit more playing time. Sometimes playing with Locke and Parenteau, Crowder’s promotion to the top line has meant that Evgeny Grachev has been playing on the less talented second line. Grachev has been quietly very impressive, strong and stronger on the puck each game, and who is dangerous anytime he is in the slot. Very tough along the boards, he is gaining in confidence and looks to be a force in the weeks to come.
Less impressive thus far is Dane Byers, who does not look like the same player he was either before his injury or even last Spring during the playoffs.
The Wolf Pack play again in Providence this afternoon.
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