Zac Rinaldo will be working on the penalty kill for the Phantoms. Didn't know you could kill penalties from the box!
I seem to remember some talk about him in the AHL last season killing penalties, working his defensive 4th liner game, but since he was pretty effective in doing what he did in the NHL, they kept him up instead. For better or worse.
He's quick enough, not afraid to get in lanes, is good using his body. He could be an effective PK'er, this might be a great opportunity for him actually.
Just watched the generals play benneville. Laughton was not overly impressive. Probably the second best player on the team, but Jenner, the captain of the generals, was by far the best player on their team. It was not like when Laughton was on the ice I felt something might happen. He showed decent hands and decent decision making, but was not impressive.
For Belleville, Gaunce is their captain and I did not think he showed any offensive creativity. Their best player by far was Jordan Subban. Every time he touched the puck you felt something might happen. Sometimes was overly aggressive, but it could be because they were down and he was trying to bring the team back. The goalie, Malcolm Subban, did not play particulary well. I think Jordan Subban would be a very good late first round / second round pick by the Flyers.
Overall, it was a pretty boring game. Back and forth with very little prolonged puck possession. Only players who really impressed were Jordan Subban and Boone Jenner. Laughton may become a very good player but he has a long way to go. There is zero chance he is getting invited the world juniors. He has alot of work to do on his game.
This was posted yesterday on CSNphilly.com
In case anyone is interested
Quote:
In the first group, Sean Couturier centered Tyler McGinn and Luke Pither; Garrett Roe centered Brayden Schenn and Jason Akeson. Schenn also took shifts at center. ... Erik Gustafsson and Marc-Andre Bourdon worked as a defensive pair. ... In the second group, Rinaldo skated on an NHL line with Eric Wellwood and Ben Holmstrom as the center. ... Three goalies were Niko Hovinen, Cal Heeter and Scott Munroe. ... Brandon Manning worked on defense with Danny Syvret. ... Harry Zolnierczyk skated on Rob Bordson’s line with Matt Mangene.
The same article also said Rinaldo was been working out/training with Couturier
Zac Rinaldo will be working on the penalty kill for the Phantoms. Didn't know you could kill penalties from the box!
that's probably Lavy's doing. I remember him talking about Rinaldo having a bigger role with the team, so what better way to get him some PK time than in the AHL
If it was Lavy's doing, they would have kept him down on the Phantoms so that he could actually learn/prove he can do it, and then not be useless. Eric Wellwood passed him on the depth chart in short order last season.
And now with the new fighting rules the OHL put in (they're usually the first drastic rule changers), hockey is now officially moving towards a position where you need to be able to actually play.
I saw Meltzer, Tim P, and Sam C. in the media area. I would have liked to have said 'hello' to Meltzer and had a chat. It would have been nice to get in those conversations.
You should have stopped over. Would have been glad to talk some hockey.
If it was Lavy's doing, they would have kept him down on the Phantoms so that he could actually learn/prove he can do it, and then not be useless. Eric Wellwood passed him on the depth chart in short order last season.
And now with the new fighting rules the OHL put in (they're usually the first drastic rule changers), hockey is now officially moving towards a position where you need to be able to actually play.
Wellwood brings nothing to the table. All he can do is skate fast. I don't understand the fascination with him
Rinaldo can at least fight and throw hits, which is what you look for in a 4th liner
If it was Lavy's doing, they would have kept him down on the Phantoms so that he could actually learn/prove he can do it, and then not be useless. Eric Wellwood passed him on the depth chart in short order last season.
And now with the new fighting rules the OHL put in (they're usually the first drastic rule changers), hockey is now officially moving towards a position where you need to be able to actually play.
Hockey's been going in that direction for the better part of a decade, now. We're only just noticing it now. If the league could have properly developed hockey enforcers rather than goons, we'd be talking a different game because coaches wouldn't be scared to dress these guys in the playoffs (which where a player's value is ultimately determined).
Wellwood brings nothing to the table. All he can do is skate fast. I don't understand the fascination with him.
That's a little harsh. Wellwood uses that speed to play some decent defensive hockey. I'm not sure anyone has a fascination with him.
He brings nothing to the table? He's a pro athlete on a great team and is easily a 3rd liner in the NHL. He's also inexpensive, which helps other talent lace up for the Flyers.
And I dont understand the fascination of a 3 min 4th liner who causes bad penalties and all he can do is fight and hit.
I can play that game also... its jsut some of us like the more skillful player (which Wellwood is more skillful then Rinaldo.)
Also we know Wellwood can play the PK while their forcing Rinaldo to learn to play it to not become a useless 4th line player.
you make it sound like he's never played pk before. granted it was in the minor but pking was part of his game at one point and they're just trying to see if he can do it at a higher level.
Rinaldo that can pk > Wellwood as is
that's not to say that wellwood can't develop another part of his game to stay ahead of Rinaldo on the depth chart cause that's what young guys are supposed to do, get better. honestly i think their skill sets make them better suited for different roles on a team anyway.
Wellwood brings nothing to the table. All he can do is skate fast. I don't understand the fascination with him
Rinaldo can at least fight and throw hits, which is what you look for in a 4th liner
Kind of disagree, but only to a certain extent. A lot more good things can come out of a guy with a ton of speed than you're giving credit. Rinaldo, IMO, has a lot more to offer than he has so far. I believe he can become more than he's shown. I also believe the same for Wellwood, but I wouldn't go as far as saying he brings nothing to the table other than speed.
Because with the amount we've seen of both players, one could just as easily say that rinaldo brings nothing more to the table than a big ego and bad penalties, as they could that Wellwood brings nothing more than speed...
In other words Rinaldo does absolutely nothing useful to win a hockey game.
I can't tell if you're kidding or not. Rinaldo absolutely does a lot of things that help win hockey games. His fast, vicious forechecking and heavy hits help keep the other team off balance in their end as well as wearing them down from taking hits.
Wellwood's a good player too. He's more than just fast, he has good instincts at both ends of the ice.
Laviolette likes a fast, pressure-based forechecking style - both these guys played as regulars for a reason.
I don't know why 'fans' feel the need to spend so much time hating the players on their own team for no good reason.
Whenever the Flyers get back into action, you can be pretty sure both Rinaldo and Wellwood will be in the opening night lineup.
I can't tell if you're kidding or not. Rinaldo absolutely does a lot of things that help win hockey games. His fast, vicious forechecking and heavy hits help keep the other team off balance in their end as well as wearing them down from taking hits.
Wellwood's a good player too. He's more than just fast, he has good instincts at both ends of the ice.
Laviolette likes a fast, pressure-based forechecking style - both these guys played as regulars for a reason.
I don't know why 'fans' feel the need to spend so much time hating the players on their own team for no good reason.
Whenever the Flyers get back into action, you can be pretty sure both Rinaldo and Wellwood will be in the opening night lineup.
Rinaldo was a pleasant surprise for me last season, he showed more positional and defensive awareness than guys like Sestito and Zolnierczyk imo. He also kept his emotions in check for most of the time, if he continues like that the reputation calls will eventually drop off. He probably would have benefitted long term from spending one more season in the AHL to work on rounding out his game however, so this lockout might be a blessing in disguise for him.
I agree that both Wellwood and Rinaldo should (based on what the players showed last season at least...) be in the lineup for the Flyers if there could just be some NHL games played.
Wellwood brings nothing to the table. All he can do is skate fast. I don't understand the fascination with him
Rinaldo can at least fight and throw hits, which is what you look for in a 4th liner
Wellwood kills penalties and is a good defensive player. That's what you look for in a 4th liner. He was equally a tenacious forechecker, and didn't take penalties (reputation or not) all of that is why he played in the playoffs and Rinaldo got sat. Hitting is an overrated aspect of the game when it's one of the 2 things a guy is on the team for, instead of one of the 5 or 6 things he's on the team for. Which is why this PK experiment for Rinaldo should have been going on last year on the Phantoms.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Clown Baby
Hockey's been going in that direction for the better part of a decade, now. We're only just noticing it now. If the league could have properly developed hockey enforcers rather than goons, we'd be talking a different game because coaches wouldn't be scared to dress these guys in the playoffs (which where a player's value is ultimately determined).
This OHL rule is the first actual rule with a real attempt at eliminating the role of the guy who only sits on the end of the bench and fights. Back before the instigator was brought in, there were a lot more people who would be defined as 'goons' who regularly contributed. Another point to yours though, back when the Flyers were inventing "dirty" play, there were fewer players on the roster, there wasn't room for that guy really.
All the more reason though, while the lockout sucks, it is actually of benefit to the Flyers.
