I agree, especially now that our AHL guys have started really gelling and producing. It will for sure be nice to compare them. I know it's way early, but I'm really excited with what next season's possible roster could look like in Peoria. With who they already have in place, and then possibly guys like Rattie, Jaskin, Edmundson, and Binnington et cetera coming into the mix...the future is looking bright!
Yes, and I think that being able to have all of those players within reach should they be needed on the Blues is a huge deal. The pipeline is getting full again, and hopefully most prospects will have to spend some time in Peoria before making the Blues.
Yes, and I think that being able to have all of those players within reach should they be needed on the Blues is a huge deal. The pipeline is getting full again, and hopefully most prospects will have to spend some time in Peoria before making the Blues.
Most definitely. Hakanpää, Veilleux, and Eronen are also possibilities. I really wish Hakanpää was a lefty. I think he's going to be a very solid defender.
I'll take a slightly different view (and hope I'm wrong). I think Schwartz and Cole will be NHLers and maybe Peluso or Beach will be a 4th liner for a few years in the NHL but I look at the rest of that roster and see AHL ceiling written all over a bunch of guys, including Jake Allen and Phil McRae.
VIERUMAKI, Fin. – Jordan Binnington wasn't happy when he was left off the Canadian roster for a series of games against the Russian junior team in the summer.
"I was bitter about it," Binnington, a goalie with the Owen Sound Attack, admitted following Canada's practice in Finland on Tuesday. "It was motivation for me to up my game and excel to the next level."
...
Binnington and Subban will each start one pre-tournament game, according to head coach Steve Spott, who has yet to decide who will be in the crease on Thursday in the first exhibition encounter (vs. Finland). Whoever performs better during the next two games will have a good chance to start on Boxing Day when Canada opens the tournament against Germany.
I'll take a slightly different view (and hope I'm wrong). I think Schwartz and Cole will be NHLers and maybe Peluso or Beach will be a 4th liner for a few years in the NHL but I look at the rest of that roster and see AHL ceiling written all over a bunch of guys, including Jake Allen and Phil McRae.
I don't know about that. I expect Allen to make a career for himself, even if it is a Brent Johnson/Conklin like backup role.
Certainly possible. The majority of pipeline talent (as usual) isn't in Peoria. The team is somewhat crappy for a reason.
I hope Allen has a better NHL career than Brent Johnson or Ty Conklin. He seems to have enough tools to become a solid career-long NHL starter. I hope the mental stability to make that happen develops. I know that that can be a tricky issue.
While the Rivermen didn't have too hot a start to the season, the team seems to be coming around. The lacklustre start probably had more to do with having so many new players on the club than it did a lack of talent.
Of the current bunch in Peoria, who do you see playing in the NHL for any length of time?
Schwartz will make it and do quite well.
Cole will make it, but I'm not convinced he will be more than a fifth or sixth defenceman.
Allen has long been touted as having the tools to be an NHL goalie, but who knows? Peluso may carve out a fourth-line role for himself.
Cundari must be getting the attention again of Blues management.
Fairchild had a better than fair rookie year in 11-12.
With Andronov it's too early to make much of a read.
Don't agree with the Cole assessment. He should put up 20 or so points with Pietrangelo, basically being Polak with a bit more offence. He has not been THAT bad in his few showings.
Don't agree with the Cole assessment. He should put up 20 or so points with Pietrangelo, basically being Polak with a bit more offence. He has not been THAT bad in his few showings.
Cole has looked okay on The NHL level for a player within his first 50 games. He's made rookie mistakes and been unpoised at times, but what rookie defenceman playing on a new level doesn't suffer from those issues? Defence on The NHL level takes a lot of time and work to master (much more than forward). It's too hard to judge how a young rookie defenceman will play throughout a career when looking just at his early transition period. Some very good NHL D-men didn't mature into their solid, poised NHL game until age 26. Let's give him some time. He's got good size and good tools (decent skill). I think he'll be a solid #3 NHL D-man for much of his career.
Cole has looked okay on The NHL level for a player within his first 50 games. He's made rookie mistakes and been unpoised at times, but what rookie defenceman playing on a new level doesn't suffer from those issues? Defence on The NHL level takes a lot of time and work to master (much more than forward). It's too hard to judge how a young rookie defenceman will play throughout a career when looking just at his early transition period. Some very good NHL D-men didn't mature into their solid, poised NHL game until age 26. Let's give him some time. He's got good size and good tools (decent skill). I think he'll be a solid #3 NHL D-man for much of his career.
You can win a Calder and still end up as a number 3/4 guy apparently. However Ij uts don't see it in Cole either. It's not even rookie mistakes but just hockey mistakes in general. Everytime he steps on the ice I fear for a penalty taken. In 42 NHL games he has 57 PIM. If the season does start I hope we trade him in a package for a real defender to come back.
What I'm saying is he may have the tools, but he doesn't have the IQ of an NHL player.
While the Rivermen didn't have too hot a start to the season, the team seems to be coming around. The lacklustre start probably had more to do with having so many new players on the club than it did a lack of talent.
Of the current bunch in Peoria, who do you see playing in the NHL for any length of time?
Schwartz will make it and do quite well.
Cole will make it, but I'm not convinced he will be more than a fifth or sixth defenceman.
Allen has long been touted as having the tools to be an NHL goalie, but who knows? Peluso may carve out a fourth-line role for himself.
Cundari must be getting the attention again of Blues management.
Fairchild had a better than fair rookie year in 11-12.
With Andronov it's too early to make much of a read.
Peluso is going to have take a punch and dominate guys a bit more as a scrapper. He looks the part of career minor league tough guy.
High hopes for Schwartz.
Cole will play a role anywhere from 4 to 6 depending on how good the team is. Hopefully 5 or 6....
Allen I think so, but probably with another team as the process for goalies is like that of a baseball catcher.
You can win a Calder and still end up as a number 3/4 guy apparently. However Ij uts don't see it in Cole either. It's not even rookie mistakes but just hockey mistakes in general. Everytime he steps on the ice I fear for a penalty taken. In 42 NHL games he has 57 PIM. If the season does start I hope we trade him in a package for a real defender to come back.
What I'm saying is he may have the tools, but he doesn't have the IQ of an NHL player.
I see where you're coming from, but I'm not ready to give up on him yet. He does take ALOT of penalties, most of which are completely unnecessary. The games he plays well, though, like when he was paired with Petro against the Pens(with Crosby) he played an amazing game. Of course he's paired with Petro, that makes things much easier, but he did have a very good game. I'd like to think he still has the upside to become a solid number 3/4 like Jackman. I don't think that's out of the question. Needs to get his head around the game though.
You can win a Calder and still end up as a number 3/4 guy apparently. However Ij uts don't see it in Cole either. It's not even rookie mistakes but just hockey mistakes in general. Everytime he steps on the ice I fear for a penalty taken. In 42 NHL games he has 57 PIM. If the season does start I hope we trade him in a package for a real defender to come back.
What I'm saying is he may have the tools, but he doesn't have the IQ of an NHL player.
I've had this feeling for the last 2-3 years, glad to see someone else sees where I'm coming from.
Cole does play a physical game and offers some offense. 57 pim in 42 game isn't bad particularly if there are a few fighting majors included. That is the question. How does his game translate to the NHL?
Cole does play a physical game and offers some offense. 57 pim in 42 game isn't bad particularly if there are a few fighting majors included. That is the question. How does his game translate to the NHL?
Cole actually has 52 games played in the NHL. So his PIMs to games played ratio isn't that bad. it's certainly in line with Jackman's, while being higher than Polak's, and both guys are pretty physical.
He might've taken some inopportune penalties in his first season, but this last season he cleaned that up a bit. not o mention i think a couple of his penalties were more bad luck than boneheaded plays. I'm really not that worried about his penalties.
Didn't expect Allens SP to be so low at this point
It is on the rise. He was much worse earlier in the year. As the team actually started playing decent his stats have improved. I would hope to see something close to .910 sv by the end of the season.
Hey guys Free hockey tonight on WHL Live with promo code "WHLFree2012". Definitely looking forward to watching Joel Edmundson and the Kamloops Blazers play at 9:00. Everett Silvertips are also scheduled to play at 9:05, but I'm not sure whether Nick Walters will be in or not as he's been out with upper body injury as of late.
Hey guys Free hockey tonight on WHL Live with promo code "WHLFree2012". Definitely looking forward to watching Joel Edmundson and the Kamloops Blazers play at 9:00. Everett Silvertips are also scheduled to play at 9:05, but I'm not sure whether Nick Walters will be in or not as he's been out with upper body injury as of late.
Edmundson is playing well, but he needs to learn to make decisions quickly, not allow such easy entries into the zone (shorten the gap/more aggressive positioning), and work on his agility.
On the plus side: he is physical, has good patience, and finds the open man with simple/effective passes.
