I watched that game. Boucher was solid and had a few good chances. He did take a bad penalty while on the PK though and that led to Kitchener's 2nd goal. I thought Thomson played pretty well too.
I wish I was able to watch the game, I watched the score sheet haha
Probably irrelevant how many we have, you know the Oilers will manage to get the first pick again.
They're obviously threatening that the team could move so Bettman rigs the draft again. They'll never move as long as they have a young superstar to lead them to a bright new future! Now if only they could acquire one of those...
Just wanted to post an update regarding Artur Gavrus. The last anyone has stated anything official, GM Dale DeGrey said that Gavrus' return is being held up by his hometown club/Belarussian Hockey Federation. He has yet to play for his hometown club (he's listed on their official roster).
Starting to get the vibe that he's being held hostage in all of this. Hopefully it gets resolved in the coming weeks, because he's missing out on crucial development time.
Swift Current Broncos defenseman and New Jersey Devils prospect, Reece Scarlett, will miss the next 1-2 weeks with an upper-body injury, according to the Broncos.
Scarlett, 19, suffered the injury last Friday in a 7-1 win over the Moose Jaw Warriors. Scarlett left the game on a stretcher after being driven into the boards by a Warriors forward, Justin Kirsch, who has since been suspended four games.
Graham Black - 1 assist (PP), -1, 1st star in Swift Current's 4-3 OT loss vs. Regina
Reece Scarlett - DNP (upper-body)
*SC blew 3-0 lead after 30 minutes of play
Season stats:
Black: 3 games, 1 goal, 3 assists, +1, 0 PIM
Scarlett: 1 game, E, 2 PIM
^^^ Severson throwing some bombs there. Looks like he can handle himself. It's hard not to love this pick (not because of the fight necessarily, but everything we've read about him so far).
After watching Windsor-Kitchener I am now a Ben Johnson fan. Wasn't thrilled about the pick before but he impressed me. His forechecking and defense is fantastic. His line was matched up against the Kitchener top line all game and really shut them down. He was also great on the PK. Didn't see much from him offensively though.
Two games of watching Ben Thomson I can see why scouts weren't very high on him. He really doesn't stand out much, his skating is mediocre and his shot sucks. But I also can understand why the Devils liked him. He does well on the boards and he gets pucks on net. He had at least 3 shots on net in both games. He also seems to have good hockey sense. He's definitely a project.
After watching Windsor-Kitchener I am now a Ben Johnson fan. Wasn't thrilled about the pick before but he impressed me. His forechecking and defense is fantastic. His line was matched up against the Kitchener top line all game and really shut them down. He was also great on the PK. Didn't see much from him offensively though.
Two games of watching Ben Thomson I can see why scouts weren't very high on him. He really doesn't stand out much, his skating is mediocre and his shot sucks. But I also can understand why the Devils liked him. He does well on the boards and he gets pucks on net. He had at least 3 shots on net in both games. He also seems to have good hockey sense. He's definitely a project.
Simple question: Does the Darren Helm comparison still appear to be accurate after watching that game?
I'm hoping for Johnson to become the next Henrique, the parallels are already tempting. But that's unfair to him, he will develop as he develops.
He seems to be one of those guys that if he doesn't come out to be what the Devils expect of him, then he can just be a third/fourth line defensive guy.
He seems to be one of those guys that if he doesn't come out to be what the Devils expect of him, then he can just be a third/fourth line defensive guy.
I'm not sure what the Devils expect of him yet. They clearly like something in his game to pick him, but I'm not sure what he's being projected as by the brain trust.
WHL:
Graham Black - 1 goal, E, 2 PIM (hook) in Swift Current's 5-4 SO loss vs. Brandon
*no goal in shootout, went 3rd for SC
Reece Scarlett - DNP (upper-body)
Damon Severson - E in Kelowna's 1-0 loss at Portland
OHL:
Reid Boucher - 1 assist (PP), -2 in Sarnia's 4-3 loss vs. Sault Ste. Marie
Ben Thomson - E in Kitchener's 2-1 win at London
Ben Johnson - -1, 2 PIM (hold) in Windsor's 3-2 SO loss at Mississauga
Artur Gavrus - DNP (not with team) in Owen Sound's 3-2 win at Guelph
QMJHL:
Stefan Matteau - E, 4 PIM (charge, high-stick), 2 shots, won 3 of 5 draws in Blainville-Boisbriand's 6-0 win vs. Sherbrooke
BCHL:
Alex Kerfoot - no stats in Coquitlam's 2-1 loss vs. Surrey
