Hmm...looks like pretty much a paired down roster of what played for Atlanta in the Traverse City tournament last week. Atlanta should have the edge in chemistry and organization honestly since they played four games together already and the Predators prospects have maybe will have practiced together three times by tomorrow night and played intersquad scrimmage with the "rookies" mixed in with the "veterans".
I'm still looking forward to the games to see how some of our younger guys do. Additionally, I look forward to seeing some of the Thrashers prospects in person that impressed me at Traverse City.
Big break for the Predators, looks like Boogosian (sp?) will not be playing for Atlanta's rookie squad...
Hmm...looks like pretty much a paired down roster of what played for Atlanta in the Traverse City tournament last week. Atlanta should have the edge in chemistry and organization honestly since they played four games together already and the Predators prospects have maybe will have practiced together three times by tomorrow night and played intersquad scrimmage with the "rookies" mixed in with the "veterans".
I'm still looking forward to the games to see how some of our younger guys do. Additionally, I look forward to seeing some of the Thrashers prospects in person that impressed me at Traverse City.
Big break for the Predators, looks like Boogosian (sp?) will not be playing for Atlanta's rookie squad...
No Bogosian?
Good, I'm not missing anything.
We're deeper at all positions... six real scoring forwards to their three, four quality defensemen to their three (possibly two, depending on what you think of Grant Lewis), and we have better goaltending (although Carrozzi is an intriguing prospect). Atlanta are probably a more physical team, though, so that should make for an interesting matchup.
The Predators will use at least 18 young players in rookie scrimmages against Atlanta today and Tuesday.
Goalies: Mark Dekanich, Chet Pickard and Jeremy Smith.
Defensemen: Jonathon Blum, Robert Dietrich, Cody Franson, Teemu Laakso and Mark Matheson.
Forwards: Brandon Buck, Ryan Jones, Ryan Maki, Ian McKenzie, Mark Santorelli, Mike Santorelli, Nick Spaling, Andreas Thuresson, Stephen Werner and Kelsey Wilson.
Looks like we're gonna have to win this one with defense and goaltending, surprise, surprise...
Players to watch for Atlanta:
Angelo Esposito (duh)
Riley Holzapfel
Spencer Machacek
Arturs Kulda (He's the one I wish I could watch, I think he's got some potential as a stay-at-home D-man)
Paul Postma
Scott Lehman
Chris Carrozzi
This was actually a pretty lopsided game in favor of us.
Mark Santorelli was head and shoulders above all our other forwards. Not even close.
Ryan Jones showed some good stuff, as did Mike Santorelli and Ian McKenzie.
A little disappointed by Nick Spaling, who I had high hopes and expectations for.
On defense...yet another time that I've seen Cody Franson and he's been terrible. He has a way of coughing up the puck at exactly the wrong time or firing passes right on to the tape of opposing forwards that are charging into our zone. Jonathan Blum looked pretty solid. Robert Dietrich was the worst player on the ice for either team, and directly responsible for the second goal given up by Jeremy Smith. Of the tryouts, Stephen Werner was decent. Didn't notice Brandon Buck all that much.
Goalies...Dekanich was *very* good. No rebounds, great lateral movement, great at seeing the puck. Pickard wasn't tested much, but looked great in the shootout. Guy who won the shootout for the Thrashers just picked the right spot to put it.
Jeremy Smith...ehhhh. Looked...very uncomposed. Frantic. First goal he clearly should have had, second goal...mostly Dietrich's fault, but he still probably could have had it.
Special teams...our PK chased a little at times, but overall was decent. PP...well, they've got the Predators spirit already. Couldn't get into the zone, couldn't hold it in when they did, and gave up a shorthanded goal.
Decent crowd onhand for a season-ticketholder-only event. Lines for the meet the team party were pretty absurd. Free food vouchers were pretty cool.
Hope to make it down tomorrow morning for the next rookie game.
With the caveat that I'm far from the expert, here are my impressions on each player (I also tried to watch players away from the play rather than following the puck constantly):
Forwards:
Brandon Buck- ok. not spectacular but a few decent plays.
Ryan Jones- some strong plays but didn't consistently dominate by any stretch. It's only one game but he didn't look close to ready for a top 6 spot.
Nick Spaling- Unlike Mr. Neck above, I thought he was decent. He has good speed and used it at times. He didn't seem afraid of contact and was good at times on the forecheck.
Ryan Maki- Not the worst player but, man, I'd have to say he didn't even look like an ahl player really. Maybe the worst forward actually. He didn't seem afraid of the contact.... but there wasn't much there.
Ian McKenzie- I was pleasantly surprised and intrigued. I thought he had a very, very solid game. Hard on the body, good on the forecheck, good position.
Cal O'Reilly- Until he scored in the 2nd I was convinced that he wasn't dressed for the game. Never saw him. At all. Only recall seeing him once after it. Not a good sign. [Stupidity edit: Jones scored that goal... maybe Cal WASN'T dressed? Maybe I need a TV monitor for goals.... I suck.]
Mark Santorelli- Wait, I thought Mike was the better Santorelli. I agree with Mr. Neck. He had probably the best game of the Preds. A man among boys... well not that strong but good in all facets.
Mike Santoreli- decent but not up to big bro's standard tonight. I don't recall seeing the two of them together at all.
Andreas Thuresson- Even given Mark Santorelli's strong game, I'd probably give AT the top forward award tonight. I thought he was positionally strong and was playing the game at a higher speed than any other Pred forward. He looked much, much more polished than virtually every other forward. Plays heavy, plays strong, plays fast. I could imagine him in a real nhl game this season...
Stephen Werner- I thought Werner was pretty good. Definitely the highlight of the "unknowns" IMO.
Kelsey Wilson- He was fine. He won't be replacing Sully on the top 6 but, hey, that's not his job.
Defensemen
Jon Blum- Much better than last year's memories. He doesn't look tiny. His passes are crisp. His vision was good. Good poise. All around good game.
Robert Dietrich- argggghhhhh. Aweful. Really bad imo. What can I say nice? He has an ok poke check. When you look like a (smallish) clone of Martin Erat I have to question why you are playing defense. After seeing him, I can't answer. He had a horrible shift immediately prior to the 1st goal and was directly responsible for the 2nd by being out of position, slow and then weak. argggghhhhh.
Cody Franson- I'm not as harsh as Barry's head podium. He was good at times. He cleared the net on a couple of occasions, he made some solid passes on occasion, and he played in position and generally with poise. Not great but not awful IMO.
Teemu Laakso- the best Dman to me. Like Thuresson, he played at a higher speed than anyone else. He was very aware and positionally sound. He passes quickly and showed good vision and accuracy. Very good on the PK. I was impressed. He is bigger than I expected, too. I'd like to see him in a pre-season game for sure.
Mark Matheson- ok. that's all.
Goalies:
Mark Dekanich. Wow. I thought he played a very calm, very impressive game. He didn't look like a rookie at all.
Chet Pickard- Very decent. He didn't seem to be tested as much but not out of place. He plays big, sort of like Pekka Rinne. Well, not that big...
Jeremy Smith- rookie. played like a rookie. looked like a rookie. That's ok, it's a long developmental process.
As for non-rookie players that were signing, a few thoughts:
1. Patric Hornqvist certainly has the confidence and poise of a goal scorer. Hopefully he has the goals of a goal scorer.
2. Sully has turned into the ultimate ambassador for the Preds.
3. Pihlstrom looks like a character out of Wayne's World (I've got a picture to prove it)... but he clearly would be fun to hang out with.
4. Kevin Klien- that Sommet pizza is NOT on the approved food list Kevin.
5. Someone at the Tootoo table was doing a Rocky impersonation with the hat and gold chain but I got distracted and didn't figure out who it was. He should get razzed for that.
6. Joel Ward was a good guy. I hope he gets a shot at some point.
I have a few crappy pictures thanks to Jim Balsillie's product. I'll try to post at some point.
Last edited by braindead: 09-22-2008 at 10:34 PM.
Reason: Stupidity edit...
Cal O'Reilly- Until he scored in the 2nd I was convinced that he wasn't dressed for the game. Never saw him. At all. Only recall seeing him once after it. Not a good sign. [Stupidity edit: Jones scored that goal... maybe Cal WASN'T dressed? Maybe I need a TV monitor for goals.... I suck.]
As for non-rookie players that were signing, a few thoughts:
5. Someone at the Tootoo table was doing a Rocky impersonation with the hat and gold chain but I got distracted and didn't figure out who it was. He should get razzed for that.
You were correct. Cal O'Reilly was not dressed. He was signing autographs. I think he was at Tootoo's table. Also, I believe the one with the hat at that table was Jed Ortmeyer. I saw him in a hat, but did not see the gold chain. I'm pretty sure they were sitting next to each other.
I didn't see too much of the game. I watched most of the first period and bits and pieces of the rest. I did see the great goal by one of the Santorelli brothers. Partial breakaway from about the circles in, it was sweet.
In the shootout we really only had one shot on goal. The first guy lost the puck and the second guy had it poked away by the goalie.
For anyone who didn't make it, the final score was 3-2 for Atlanta in a SO. Didn't play OT, just straight to the SO. Pickard was in goal in the SO, only allowed the one goal but it was a good shot.
I have to disagree with my Pred brother above, I thought Thurreson was easily one of the worst players on the ice. He had a good hit or two but he also had some pretty brutal turnovers.
I was expecting more from Jones because of his hype. He had some pretty good plays out there, but although he can hang with the top rookies, Im not sure he is ready for 2nd line NHL duty. I admit this is my first time seeing him play though.
Franson had some pretty bad turnovers and passes straight to enemy tape. That was a little disappointing. Blum was very positionally sound and looked good.
I liked the Flying Santorelli's and I actually really liked what I saw out of Werner. He had good puck control and could connect some nice passes.
Ian McKenzie showed some great hustle and had some of the better hits of the night. He didnt seem to be out there much, but when he was out on the ice he was sure to make his presence felt.
Our rookies didnt seem to be especially strong in the faceoff dot.
I also made the game.
I was impressed by Spaling's play as well. Was that Mark or Mike Santorelli that scored? I could have sworn it was Mike-- which one is 53? He looked good out there, but it could just be the level of competition making him look good, I am by no means an expert. I thought Jones was pretty sound but not spectacular. Neither he nor Spaling is afraid to go into the high traffic zone in front of the net.
As far as Dietrich, man, what did the scouts see in this guy? I sure missed it. It is obvious Franson still is a project. They guy's shots were off, he made some turnovers on the PP that were Zidlicky-esqe, to coin a phrase. Pickard just seemed to exude a composure in net. Very smooth, very calm. I could see his potential for sure. Better not to rush this guy, he could be special if properly groomed.
I also made the game.
I was impressed by Spaling's play as well. Was that Mark or Mike Santorelli that scored? I could have sworn it was Mike-- which one is 53? He looked good out there, but it could just be the level of competition making him look good, I am by no means an expert. I thought Jones was pretty sound but not spectacular. Neither he nor Spaling is afraid to go into the high traffic zone in front of the net.
As far as Dietrich, man, what did the scouts see in this guy? I sure missed it. It is obvious Franson still is a project. They guy's shots were off, he made some turnovers on the PP that were Zidlicky-esqe, to coin a phrase. Pickard just seemed to exude a composure in net. Very smooth, very calm. I could see his potential for sure. Better not to rush this guy, he could be special if properly groomed.
Mike is #53 and is the more natural sniper of the two.
As for Dietrich, he was injured A LOT last season and he could be experiencing the Finley Effect (injuries -> unrealized potential). Either that, or he was just a flash in the pan in 06/07, which were the exact words I used when I described the pick...
There were a few scrums. The Santorelli brothers were in one and Mike (53) wrestled his guy down to the ice. Definitely more chippy than the first game.
Someone from Atlanta, #51, got injured. He was wobbly being skated/helped to the bench. No one saw what happened.
I think the rosters were basically the same.
Pickard looked great. Wasn't tested much at the beginning of the period, maybe a couple of shots on net. But later in the period he was beat by a high shot. But overall he looked great.
Dekanich was great at the end of the third and OT. A number of glove saves.
The PP seemed to shoot more. Still lots of passes but it seemed like they tried to shoot more and got to some rebounds. Of course some of the shots were right into the defenders shin again, but on some of those we were able to get the puck back before it was cleared.
There were a number of kids there and they were having so much fun. It was great, they were stomping on the floor and chanting for the Preds, made it pretty loud. At one point Dekanich made a great save and since they didn't know his name they just chanted his number, "Thir-ty-One! Thir-ty-One! Thir-ty-One!"
But I guess the most important thing is that we won in the SO 3-2
Last edited by sparkle twin: 09-24-2008 at 02:53 AM.
With the caveat that I'm far from the expert, here are my impressions on each player (I also tried to watch players away from the play rather than following the puck constantly):
Forwards:
Brandon Buck- ok. not spectacular but a few decent plays.
Ryan Jones- some strong plays but didn't consistently dominate by any stretch. It's only one game but he didn't look close to ready for a top 6 spot.
Nick Spaling- Unlike Mr. Neck above, I thought he was decent. He has good speed and used it at times. He didn't seem afraid of contact and was good at times on the forecheck.
Ryan Maki- Not the worst player but, man, I'd have to say he didn't even look like an ahl player really. Maybe the worst forward actually. He didn't seem afraid of the contact.... but there wasn't much there.
Ian McKenzie- I was pleasantly surprised and intrigued. I thought he had a very, very solid game. Hard on the body, good on the forecheck, good position.
Cal O'Reilly- Until he scored in the 2nd I was convinced that he wasn't dressed for the game. Never saw him. At all. Only recall seeing him once after it. Not a good sign. [Stupidity edit: Jones scored that goal... maybe Cal WASN'T dressed? Maybe I need a TV monitor for goals.... I suck.]
Mark Santorelli- Wait, I thought Mike was the better Santorelli. I agree with Mr. Neck. He had probably the best game of the Preds. A man among boys... well not that strong but good in all facets.
Mike Santoreli- decent but not up to big bro's standard tonight. I don't recall seeing the two of them together at all.
Andreas Thuresson- Even given Mark Santorelli's strong game, I'd probably give AT the top forward award tonight. I thought he was positionally strong and was playing the game at a higher speed than any other Pred forward. He looked much, much more polished than virtually every other forward. Plays heavy, plays strong, plays fast. I could imagine him in a real nhl game this season...
Stephen Werner- I thought Werner was pretty good. Definitely the highlight of the "unknowns" IMO.
Kelsey Wilson- He was fine. He won't be replacing Sully on the top 6 but, hey, that's not his job.
Defensemen
Jon Blum- Much better than last year's memories. He doesn't look tiny. His passes are crisp. His vision was good. Good poise. All around good game.
Robert Dietrich- argggghhhhh. Aweful. Really bad imo. What can I say nice? He has an ok poke check. When you look like a (smallish) clone of Martin Erat I have to question why you are playing defense. After seeing him, I can't answer. He had a horrible shift immediately prior to the 1st goal and was directly responsible for the 2nd by being out of position, slow and then weak. argggghhhhh.
Cody Franson- I'm not as harsh as Barry's head podium. He was good at times. He cleared the net on a couple of occasions, he made some solid passes on occasion, and he played in position and generally with poise. Not great but not awful IMO.
Teemu Laakso- the best Dman to me. Like Thuresson, he played at a higher speed than anyone else. He was very aware and positionally sound. He passes quickly and showed good vision and accuracy. Very good on the PK. I was impressed. He is bigger than I expected, too. I'd like to see him in a pre-season game for sure.
Mark Matheson- ok. that's all.
Goalies:
Mark Dekanich. Wow. I thought he played a very calm, very impressive game. He didn't look like a rookie at all.
Chet Pickard- Very decent. He didn't seem to be tested as much but not out of place. He plays big, sort of like Pekka Rinne. Well, not that big...
Jeremy Smith- rookie. played like a rookie. looked like a rookie. That's ok, it's a long developmental process.
As for non-rookie players that were signing, a few thoughts:
1. Patric Hornqvist certainly has the confidence and poise of a goal scorer. Hopefully he has the goals of a goal scorer.
2. Sully has turned into the ultimate ambassador for the Preds.
3. Pihlstrom looks like a character out of Wayne's World (I've got a picture to prove it)... but he clearly would be fun to hang out with.
4. Kevin Klien- that Sommet pizza is NOT on the approved food list Kevin.
5. Someone at the Tootoo table was doing a Rocky impersonation with the hat and gold chain but I got distracted and didn't figure out who it was. He should get razzed for that.
6. Joel Ward was a good guy. I hope he gets a shot at some point.
I have a few crappy pictures thanks to Jim Balsillie's product. I'll try to post at some point.
wow from someone a million miles from knowing anything going on this preseason that was very handy, great write up
