Wilson was ok. Very physical, the most physical guy on the team. But took a couple careless penalties because of that.
Sutter was solid. Had an average 1st game, was much better in the 2nd and was below average in the 3rd. He didn't play in game 4. Best play of the event for him was a great cross-crease pass to Rielly for a tap-in goal in game 2.
Danault was good, but I expected a bit more. He works hard and has great speed but I thought he would be able to create more than he did.
People were actually disappointed in the play of Dougie Hamilton? I thought he was definitely a top 3 D on the team along with guys like Harrington, Murray and arguably Rielly. Maybe it's just Leafs fans not wanting to give the kid too much credit.
I wouldn't be shocked at all if he plays for Canada at Christmas and is the team's best D.
Let's just say he better have a great start to the season and a good WJ camp. He wasn't very good at all during this event.
I would expect him to be much better during the season leading up to WJ Camp.....when it comes to skilled players like Shinkaruk you give the benefit of the doubt.... other players and their performance I do not afford the same luxury.
Wilson was ok. Very physical, the most physical guy on the team. But took a couple careless penalties because of that.
Sutter was solid. Had an average 1st game, was much better in the 2nd and was below average in the 3rd. He didn't play in game 4. Best play of the event for him was a great cross-crease pass to Rielly for a tap-in goal in game 2.
Danault was good, but I expected a bit more. He works hard and has great speed but I thought he would be able to create more than he did.
and those are the 3 I'd have scratched from the Christmas team. Actually when thinking about the team I'd like to see at Xmas, there are 7 players that saw action in this series that I'd like not to see at Christmas time...but my dream line-up is factoring in an NHL lockout and RNH is the number 1 center.
People were actually disappointed in the play of Dougie Hamilton? I thought he was definitely a top 3 D on the team along with guys like Harrington, Murray and arguably Rielly. Maybe it's just Leafs fans not wanting to give the kid too much credit.
I think the problem is more that people are just expecting far too much from Hamilton in general.
Some Bruins fans want to believe he's the next big thing so they can laugh at Leaf fans, some Leaf fans want to believe it as well so they can complain about Brian Burke.
With his insane point totals last year, the expectations of some people are just unrealistic
Quote:
Originally Posted by Renegade Stylings
I wouldn't be shocked at all if he plays for Canada at Christmas and is the team's best D.
Well, he did make the team last year, and was one of their best defensemen, so that's a pretty good bet.
People were actually disappointed in the play of Dougie Hamilton? I thought he was definitely a top 3 D on the team along with guys like Harrington, Murray and arguably Rielly. Maybe it's just Leafs fans not wanting to give the kid too much credit.
I wouldn't be shocked at all if he plays for Canada at Christmas and is the team's best D.
Yeah, I'd put his performance after those 3. I think people were just expecting more out of him because of his status as the best defense prospect in the world.
It's just a few games during summer, of course, but he didn't distinguish himself at either end of the ice.
People were actually disappointed in the play of Dougie Hamilton? I thought he was definitely a top 3 D on the team along with guys like Harrington, Murray and arguably Rielly. Maybe it's just Leafs fans not wanting to give the kid too much credit.
I wouldn't be shocked at all if he plays for Canada at Christmas and is the team's best D.
I wasn't impressed with Hamilton's play because of my expectations going in. From what I'd heard from reading the Bruins board Hamilton is a sure #1 guy in the NHL in the next couple seasons and the best junior defenseman. I didn't see this Hamilton, but instead a decent two-way guy who played a quiet game and made a few mistakes. He didn't stand out, which for me was disappointing.
People were actually disappointed in the play of Dougie Hamilton? I thought he was definitely a top 3 D on the team along with guys like Harrington, Murray and arguably Rielly. Maybe it's just Leafs fans not wanting to give the kid too much credit.
I wouldn't be shocked at all if he plays for Canada at Christmas and is the team's best D.
Yeah, not sure why Hamilton's getting so much flak. He was quite the physical presence, had some nice moments on d, and had some solid offensive plays like that awesome top cheese point shot goal. I don't think any one dman really separated himself from the pack, but I'd personally go with Murphy, Murray and Rielly as the top 3 dmen for Canada in the tournament, followed by Hamilton at 4, and guys like Harrington and Ouellet not far behind.
Hard to take much out of a 4 game tourney, especially when some guys (Hamilton included) didn't even play all 4 games.
The only dman who really stood out to me was Murphy, he was extremely impressive offensively and very dangerous with the puck, but he also made the most mistakes all over the ice, and didn't do a tonne defensively, so I don't want go handing him "best dman of the tournament" honours, more just "one of the good dmen."
The only player in general who I found truly disappointing was Grigorenko. He had a really, really poor tournament, was pretty much invisible the entire time. He should have been a top 2 player for Russia (along with Yakupov), but he wasn't even close. Was outplayed by a number of the undrafted Russians.
I wasn't impressed with Hamilton's play because of my expectations going in. From what I'd heard from reading the Bruins board Hamilton is a sure #1 guy in the NHL in the next couple seasons and the best junior defenseman. I didn't see this Hamilton, but instead a decent two-way guy who played a quiet game and made a few mistakes. He didn't stand out, which for me was disappointing.
Murray, Rielly, Murphy, Hamilton and Dumba are all pretty hyped, and none of them really stood out that much (except maybe Murphy, who definitely stood out offensively, but who also made a lot of mistakes). Quite a few of those 5 (maybe all 5) are going to become pretty good NHL dmen, but none of them dominated the tourney. There were a lot of good players, which makes it hard to stand out, and it was only a 4 game tourney. When you watch Hamilton in the OHL it's pretty clear that he's an excellent prospect, and I could certainly see him maturing into a solid top pairing dman in the NHL.
Yeah, not sure why Hamilton's getting so much flak. He was quite the physical presence, had some nice moments on d, and had some solid offensive plays like that awesome top cheese point shot goal. I don't think any one dman really separated himself from the pack, but I'd personally go with Murphy, Murray and Rielly as the top 3 dmen for Canada in the tournament, followed by Hamilton at 4, and guys like Harrington and Ouellet not far behind.
Hard to take much out of a 4 game tourney, especially when some guys (Hamilton included) didn't even play all 4 games.
The only dman who really stood out to me was Murphy, he was extremely impressive offensively and very dangerous with the puck, but he also made the most mistakes all over the ice, and didn't do a tonne defensively, so I don't want go handing him "best dman of the tournament" honours, more just "one of the good dmen."
The only player in general who I found truly disappointing was Grigorenko. He had a really, really poor tournament, was pretty much invisible the entire time. He should have been a top 2 player for Russia (along with Yakupov), but he wasn't even close. Was outplayed by a number of the undrafted Russians.
I agree he was disappointing, maybe he's not visible because his game is not like Yakupov's. He isn't going to dazzle you with top flight speed or hits, he's more of a cerebral player, he made some nice passes, but a lot of the times he was trying to do too much. Also that line had no chemistry at all.
I think the problem is more that people are just expecting far too much from Hamilton in general.
Some Bruins fans want to believe he's the next big thing so they can laugh at Leaf fans, some Leaf fans want to believe it as well so they can complain about Brian Burke.
With his insane point totals last year, the expectations of some people are just unrealistic
Well, he did make the team last year, and was one of their best defensemen, so that's a pretty good bet.
Expectations are definitely the reason for people being so down on Hamilton. People expected more offensively because of his numbers in Niagara last year, I myself expected a little more. But playing with a brand new team in August is really tough, especially for a defenseman who uses his teammates offensively like Dougie. He struggled the first game (although he got the winning goal) but got more steady as the series went along.
Last edited by bruinsfan46: 08-16-2012 at 07:34 PM.
Murray, Rielly, Murphy, Hamilton and Dumba are all pretty hyped, and none of them really stood out that much (except maybe Murphy, who definitely stood out offensively, but who also made a lot of mistakes). Quite a few of those 5 (maybe all 5) are going to become pretty good NHL dmen, but none of them dominated the tourney.
Shouldn't one expect more from Murphy and Hamilton than Dumba, Rielly and Murray? This is their second kick at the can here. A year of development while associated with a pro team is huge at their age. The second year forwards were leaned on and delivered.
Murray, Rielly, Murphy, Hamilton and Dumba are all pretty hyped, and none of them really stood out that much (except maybe Murphy, who definitely stood out offensively, but who also made a lot of mistakes). Quite a few of those 5 (maybe all 5) are going to become pretty good NHL dmen, but none of them dominated the tourney. There were a lot of good players, which makes it hard to stand out, and it was only a 4 game tourney. When you watch Hamilton in the OHL it's pretty clear that he's an excellent prospect, and I could certainly see him maturing into a solid top pairing dman in the NHL.
i was at the games andthought Murphy and Murray where both awsome....Murray great defensive player, excellent passing, good shot from the point, just super smart on the ice......Murphy is awsome, no one is expecting him to play in his own zone like Adam Foote, he is a Paul Coffey style of defender who will be just amazing skating with the puck and always creating in the offensive zone, he was IMO the best player on the ice many times for Canada, I think Carolina has a star in the making with Murphy, his defensive play can improve his skating and puck rushing ability are just not teachable and make him IMO an amazing player.
The problem I had with Hamilton was also the expectations. As one of the older Dmen on the team he was supposed to be the rock of the team not just defensively but offensively as well. That just didnt happen, you can blame his teammates if you want but I didnt really see him put forth the effort, whereas guys like Harrington, Murphy, and Rielly did put in effort and it showed.
Expectations are definitely the reason for people being so down on Hamilton. People expected more offensively because of his numbers in Niagara last year, I myself expected a little more. But playing with a brand new team in August is really tough, especially for a defenseman who uses his teammates offensively like Dougie. He struggled the first game (although he got the winning goal) but got more steady as the series went along.
I was expecting a bit more offense as well, at least at first, but the reality is that when you are playing a team as skilled as the Russians, you really can't have every defenseman jumping in on the offense.
Murphy and Rielly obviously got to show their stuff, but it's not like those two were on the team because of their elite defensive play. Hamilton on the other hand is a huge guy, and that size was much needed in our own zone.
People were actually disappointed in the play of Dougie Hamilton? I thought he was definitely a top 3 D on the team along with guys like Harrington, Murray and arguably Rielly. Maybe it's just Leafs fans not wanting to give the kid too much credit.
I wouldn't be shocked at all if he plays for Canada at Christmas and is the team's best D.
Given Dougie Hamilton's hype from last season, you would have expected him to dominate his age group, not merely be one of the top three with the likes of Harrington, and Murray and Rielly, who just came out of the draft. Not to mention Ryan Murphy, even though Murphy's decision making at times could have been better.
Being the best on Canada's WJC squad in December is sort of the minimum Hamilton should be delivering, considering the hype... Otherwise, he should be in the NHL.
So this really has nothing to do with Leafs fans. It's about someone being (over)hyped and then not delivering. Not our fault.
The only dman who really stood out to me was Murphy, he was extremely impressive offensively and very dangerous with the puck, but he also made the most mistakes all over the ice, and didn't do a tonne defensively, so I don't want go handing him "best dman of the tournament" honours, more just "one of the good dmen."
Yep, Murphy really stood out to me too. He seemed to be a bit of a big fish in a small pond. He really took it upon himself to make things happen out there, which in turn led to a lot of sloppy play and poor decision making, which was completely frustrating, but his tools were plainly on display. What is his reputation in terms of hockey sense? Seems like he's getting away with a ton of boneheaded stuff in the lower leagues, but it could come back to seriously hurt him if he doesn't tighten up.
Ryan Murray was really impressive out there. Just really poised and so smooth out there. How does his situation compare to a young Wade Redden? Seems like he could step into Columbus and help stabilize that blueline like Redden was coming out of juniors to Ottawa way back when.
i was at the games andthought Murphy and Murray where both awsome....Murray great defensive player, excellent passing, good shot from the point, just super smart on the ice......Murphy is awsome, no one is expecting him to play in his own zone like Adam Foote, he is a Paul Coffey style of defender who will be just amazing skating with the puck and always creating in the offensive zone, he was IMO the best player on the ice many times for Canada, I think Carolina has a star in the making with Murphy, his defensive play can improve his skating and puck rushing ability are just not teachable and make him IMO an amazing player.
I'm in full agreement with this assessment. The observations and comments on the 'selfishness' of Murphy's play are quite amusing. He is one of the few players that has the skill level to appear that he is playing selfishly. Give me 5 more players like him and the other team will rarely touch the puck.
I've said this before and I'll repeat it: Harrington is the next Josh Gorges.
If Harrington can end up as good as Gorges, I'd say that's a great pick at that spot for the Pens (late second round). I'd be more than happy if he did end up being a Gorges, or perhaps a more mobile/better puck handling version Rob Scuderi.
