The difference was special teams. Theirs was special, ours was not.
Among other things. Like their best players being their best players while ours were not. Also Sag played as a cohesive unit throughout the series committing to defense as a team and playing a better team game (their lines didn't get shuffled once all series). While partially the Stings failure to do this was injuries and so many new faces in the lineup, there was too many guys trying to force things individually, coaching obviously played a role in this too. Some size and more grit up front would have gone a long way help this team have success in the playoffs too, too bad we traded most of it away.
Saginaw has been one of the better OHL teams since Christmas. They deserve credit for playing well and getting to that 5th seed. They were certainly playing as though they were a higher seed
I wouldn't be looking forward to playing the Spirit if I were any OHL team.
Still not hearing much from all the Hockey Experts on Yakupov.....can any of you explain why this guys went missing in action in round one. That sets off major alarm bells if I was picking him...( Columbus ) but they already know what it's like having other imports who did the same.
But the Sting shooters overall just sucked.....
Spooner is number
104
Boucher
83
Alberga/ Sarault
71/ 72
Rendsvelt/ Yakupov
42/ 43
Sorry that is not good enough and if your the top ranked player for NHL draft you cannot mail it in. Think he is still mad about the prospects game...I also noticed Yakupov tailed off once it was determined he wouldn't be winning the scoring title.
It is called Russian Syndrome. His head may be in the clouds, thinking of the millions he will make? After they beat Canada in the WJC it seemed he went from cloud 9 to a much higher place. http://forums.redflagdeals.com/nail-...y-1129635/,,it happens to alot of players who are young and haven't been exposed to so much glory. For his sake, he better get things turned around. Other factor, injuries, limited ice time, no real centreman (after Galy got hurt) and it comes down to what UPNORTH mentioned, coaching.
Championship dreams were officially dashed Saturday as the Sarnia Sting bowed out of the OHL playoffs after six games against the Saginaw Spirit.
The Sting fell 3-1 in Saginaw Saturday, losing the best-of-seven series 4-2.
But a season fraught with injuries was still successful in many fans' eyes.
“I was proud to be a Sting fan this year,” said Jake Cherski, who heads up the fan group Pollen Nation.
Injury woes continued even in Saturday's game — goalie JP Anderson left in the second period after taking a slapshot to his helmet, and second line center Ryan Spooner left in the first after taking a hard hit and injuring his knee.
Game one against Saginaw was the first Alex Galchenyuk and Nail Yakupov, both highly regarded prospects for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, played together all year.
“I think they were just starting to get to know one another,” Cherski said.
Reaction to the season-ending loss on www.theobserver.ca was mostly optimistic.
“The Sting have nothing to hang their heads over. A much better season than originally believed. Too many injuries to too many top line players,” wrote Bob Jones.
“...Add one or two guys that make opposing teams think twice about going into corners or cutting through center and this team could have made a deep run,” said Scott Williamson.
Long-time fan Phil Brain called the season exciting, but said it seemed some players weren't skating as hard by the end.
“I began to wonder if maybe the coach was feeling the stress himself and putting it towards the players,” he said.
Still, he gave head coach and general manager Jacques Beaulieu credit for off season trades and acquisitions that put together what Brain called the Canadian Hockey League's strongest team on paper.
Reid Boucher and Connor Murphy were among the acquisitions.
Sting president Larry Ciccarelli said the season went “pretty well” despite some hardships.“
I think what we wanted to accomplish at the beginning of the season we accomplished,” he said.
He credited Beaulieu for helping unite the business and hockey sides of the Sting, pointing out attendance rose between 15% and 20% at home games over last year: the highest in the league in terms of percentage increase.
“Unfortunately the hockey gods dealt us with adversity right from September … ,” he said. “The reality is that chemistry plays a lot to this and we didn't have the opportunity to gel that chemistry.”
The team can return several players next year and the question is who will be back, he said.
Trades for Sting overagers need to take place to recoup some of the team's draft picks, Cherski said.
Beaulieu said he was disappointed the playoff drive didn't go further, but still proud of his team.
“I'm happy the way the kids competed, the way they worked and the way they listened,” he said.
For now, the Sting are preparing for the 2012 OHL Priority Selection April 7 and will be hosting a mini camp shortly thereafter to assess their talent.
i read it to. didnt chuckle. more like frustrated angry and embarased. we are laughing stock of the league right now and many of us saw it coming back in december. teams with that much turnover in one year dont win a championship. and who gives up great healthy young prospects for two month rentals.
regarding yaki. maybe it was pressure due to his name and draft status. maybe he never fully healed from injuries. maybe the constant juggleing of lines. maybe he was tired of jacques behaviours. jacques wasnt playing him the way he was earlier in year so who knows.
upcoming draft is sat. any thoughts on who will fall to us. desousa a great offencive defenceman can run pp like deangelo. or salituro he is great finisher and god knows we need that and a good skater. or the speedster bennett. or go with size with boorne we all saw what size up front does. or hargrave or diperna. guess well have to see whos still on the board by then. one question might be what players parents agents will let them report after this year. makes me also wonder what current guys will want to stay around for jacko round two.
This was posted on another forum so I won’t take credit for it. However he does have some valid points.
Sarnia seemed to think that the presence of 2 potential top 5 picks meant that now was the time to go for it. Unfortunately, the way they went about it showed a lack of understanding about what it takes to win. They played with no structure and had no role players/grit/size. Things were supposed to be different when the lineup was healthy, but nothing changed because the roster was badly flawed. Who was going to check the other teams top line? Who were going to be the shutdownpair on the blueline? Who was going to make the opposition defenceman pay a price when they went back on the wall for the puck? In addition, they were poorly coached. Forwards were allowed to cheat, defenceman backed off and allowed the opposition to walk in and do whatever they wanted without resistance, no matter the talent level of SOME FORWARDS, a team can't win this way, and Sarnia was constructed to win it all.
i read it to. didnt chuckle. more like frustrated angry and embarased. we are laughing stock of the league right now......
You have to chuckle and laugh with them. For an owner to come out and say the season turned out pretty much as we expected has to be a joke and therefore we should laugh - any other response will drive you crazy.
I'm not sure where the writer found the mostly optimistic fans. All the people I know that follow the sting are very disappointed - not a little disappointed but very disappointed. Responses on other board topics would reflect this. To call this season anything but a huge disappointment shows a lack of reality.
Off to see good hockey still - this year it looks like London, Kitchener and Plymouth. This too is deja vu all over again....
folks can spin it any way they want but you are right. what they say publicly and how they truly feel are two diferent things. i just hope the cicerelis get to the bottom of the fall out. there was obviously big problems.
Just wondering what the Sarnia experts think about Galchenyuk being a fit for the Leafs in the top 5 slot? I'm hearing some major warning signs re Grigorenko and his work ethic and given the Leafs are dying for a stud number one centre can Galchenyuk be a candidate nothwithstanding the small, incomplete sample sixze of his injury plagued year?
Hard to expect much from a kid to jump into playoff hockey after missing much of the year to a serious knee injury.
I'll try and keep my bias toward that team to myself. BOTH Russians are exceptional talents. But in this old mans opinion in the LONG run, I feel Galy will be the better of the two. The lad has size, unreal work ethic and loaded with skill and high hockey IQ.
While Galy wasn't up to his normal standards, I feel his effort wasn't lacking and he was one of are better fwds durring are short PO run, unlike are rental player.
I'll try and keep my bias toward that team to myself. BOTH Russians are exceptional talents. But in this old mans opinion in the LONG run, I feel Galy will be the better of the two. The lad has size, unreal work ethic and loaded with skill and high hockey IQ.
While Galy wasn't up to his normal standards, I feel his effort wasn't lacking and he was one of are better fwds durring are short PO run, unlike are rental player.
Thanks! Based on what I have been reading and come to understand, that is what I thought might be the answer. Hopefully the Leafs don't do the expected and pick Grigorenko, it might be time then to finally bail.
I'll try and keep my bias toward that team to myself. BOTH Russians are exceptional talents. But in this old mans opinion in the LONG run, I feel Galy will be the better of the two. The lad has size, unreal work ethic and loaded with skill and high hockey IQ.
While Galy wasn't up to his normal standards, I feel his effort wasn't lacking and he was one of are better fwds durring are short PO run, unlike are rental player.
I agree with you on this one. Taking nothing away from Yakupov, I felt that Galy was improving at a greater pace in the last third of the season last year than was Yakupov. Alex had some sweet open ice moves this year in his few games, combined this with his reach and it should result in some decent pro stats. Alex is more of a Corey Perry / Bobby Ryan build that Burke likes. Regardless it will be very interesting where Alex is picked this year based on the few games he has played.
From the few pro scouts that I talk to they really are not concerned by his knee - this seems to be the public sentiment. Plus teams that will be interested in him will examine him before the draft and his surgery was completed by a very respected Dr. The question is more what spot do you pick him when you haven't really been able to compare him to other players much.
I agree with you on this one. Taking nothing away from Yakupov, I felt that Galy was improving at a greater pace in the last third of the season last year than was Yakupov. Alex had some sweet open ice moves this year in his few games, combined this with his reach and it should result in some decent pro stats. Alex is more of a Corey Perry / Bobby Ryan build that Burke likes. Regardless it will be very interesting where Alex is picked this year based on the few games he has played.
From the few pro scouts that I talk to they really are not concerned by his knee - this seems to be the public sentiment. Plus teams that will be interested in him will examine him before the draft and his surgery was completed by a very respected Dr. The question is more what spot do you pick him when you haven't really been able to compare him to other players much.
Is he respected? Don't ask David Branch and the CHL their opinions haha
I also agree about Galchenyuk being the better long term option. Love his pro game more. Its clear that something still isn't right with Yakupov as he was quite average in the playoffs.
This is the roster I've put together for next year based on who is eligible to return next season. Lines not withstanding.
I didn't include any previously drafted players (ie. Andrews, Welsh, Motte, Excell) as I don't know they're future plans or individual progression. As well, after Saturday's draft, you can slot in at least two '96 born players to the roster.
Boucher - Galchenyuk - D. Brown
Alberga (OA) - Sarault (OA) - Hottot (OA)
Hnatiw- Latta - Mater
Dundas - Nikandrov - J. Thomas
Rowe
DeAngelo - Chiarlitti (OA)
Basso - Duininck
Kuzmyk - Dipaolo
*Murphy if he doesn't play AHL next year
Well, I'll probably get flamed for this but neither of these guys showed me much in the playoffs. Gotta agree with Simon on this one. #1 Picks step up, not back and in the two games I attended he looked tentative. Yakupov was a -8 wasn't he? It's called a CONCUSSION folks. That was a nasty hit he took and he came back too soon, IHMO. Seen too many concussions and dealt with many a player with them. Be interesting to see his scans and his impact testing. I don't buy his camp's report on him. Was just a different player altogether.
Galchenyuk is given the benefit of the doubt far too many times on these boards. Played so-so in the Hilinka last year, was mediocre in this playoff and a -6, left of the list for the WJ this year and defensively he has a conspicuous gap in his game that seems to be getting wider to me. I frankly do not see a two way forward at all in him. Work ethic? Maybe off the ice, but he looks lost out there in his own zone to me and he doesn't have the first three steps that Yakupov has at all, never has. I'm sure the hype of a year ago will sustain him but doesn't seem all there yet to me.
I bet you if any player was in pre-season form while playing against guys playoff ready...they'd seem slow too.
With the focus on concussions in todays game, I give it a ZERO chance they would allow Yakupov back too early if it was a concussion. You think the tentativeness might have something to do with the amount of injuries he sustained this year? Just maybe...
Galchenyuk is given the benefit of the doubt far too many times on these boards. Played so-so in the Hilinka last year, was mediocre in this playoff and a -6, left of the list for the WJ this year
Season-ending knee injuries usually do that nevermind the politics of the USAHockey program.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MrWilson
he doesn't have the first three steps that Yakupov has at all, never has. I'm sure the hype of a year ago will sustain him but doesn't seem all there yet to me.
Who ever said Galchenyuk had Yakupov's first three steps? No one in the OHL and few in the NHL have Yakupov's first three steps.
I bet you if any player was in pre-season form while playing against guys playoff ready...they'd seem slow too.
With the focus on concussions in todays game, I give it a ZERO chance they would allow Yakupov back too early if it was a concussion. You think the tentativeness might have something to do with the amount of injuries he sustained this year? Just maybe...
Galchenyuk seems slow to me no matter when he's skating.
I give it zero chance he wasn't concussed. That made him tentative. Just came back too early. The psychology of PCS is well documented and VERY common in the hockey world. This poor kid had it big time. He played anyway, with tepid results, all the while taking significant risks for himself for the good of his team--probably one he won't be playing for next season. Seriously, you really think the soon to be #1 draft pick is going to announce he's concussed and can't be on the ice for the playoffs???? Call me cynical, but that seems naive.
Jwalk did you turn the 24 hour into a 72 hour rule? I was wondering how long it would take you to pipe in about this 'successful season'. At least thats what my pal in Belmont is saying Jacques is telling people.
But a very good find. The Hitler clip does sum it up pretty well.
I heard the Sting are really high on a US defenceman named Downie (sp???) Anyone know anything about him? Heard he is huge and can play 20 plus minutes
BOTH Russians are exceptional talents. But in this old mans opinion in the LONG run, I feel Galy will be the better of the two. The lad has size, unreal work ethic and loaded with skill and high hockey IQ. 
) :
I was wondering how long it would take you to pipe in about this 'successful season'. At least thats what my pal in Belmont is saying Jacques is telling people. 
