Genuine Draft stopped.
Miss with a nice stop
Kolarik continues to come through. Scores in the top shelf.
Stafford answered with a deke off the left skate of Miss. First shootout goal we surrendered all year.
Newbury got the goalie down, but failed to get the puck up.
Kundratek makes a nice move, but Miss made a very nice save.
Thomas shoots hard, but right into the goalie.
Miss gives up a goal.
Jean loses the puck as he tries to deke. Game over. We lost.
How does Missiaen go from shutting out Wilkes Barre to looking like a semi-pro vs. Hershey? He reminds me of the backup goalie on my team, huge mofo, has to rely on size and angles, cus' he's slow and has a five-hole that can be seen with the naked eye from outer space.
Miller was very solid. Nothing spectacular, but he is good at taking the puck deep and using his body to protect it; sees the ice well; calm under pressure. Needs time to adjust to the pro game because his rookie mistakes will really be exposed in the NHL if he moves up.
McIlrath is big, strong, fast, but still very raw. Makes great plays that show his potential and the reason he was the #10 pick, and then he allows a much smaller player to land a hit on him or loses the puck in his own feet on a pass. He's raw, but a great deal of potential.
How does Missiaen go from shutting out Wilkes Barre to looking like a semi-pro vs. Hershey? He reminds me of the backup goalie on my team, huge mofo, has to rely on size and angles, cus' he's slow and has a five-hole that can be seen with the naked eye from outer space.
Miss needs to work on his low game and his foot speed. He gives up a ton of goals on low shots when the puck is moving from side to side.
Miller was very solid. Nothing spectacular, but he is good at taking the puck deep and using his body to protect it; sees the ice well; calm under pressure. Needs time to adjust to the pro game because his rookie mistakes will really be exposed in the NHL if he moves up.
McIlrath is big, strong, fast, but still very raw. Makes great plays that show his potential and the reason he was the #10 pick, and then he allows a much smaller player to land a hit on him or loses the puck in his own feet on a pass. He's raw, but a great deal of potential.
Is it possible we see them both in 13-14? I guess I should give up on seeing them this season.
Is it possible we see them both in 13-14? I guess I should give up on seeing them this season.
I think Miller is closer to the NHL. Once he smoothes out the rough patches that come with beginning to play adults, he can be at least a bottom-6 player next year. I think a 12+20=32 season is not unreasonable from him.
McIlrath needs more time. He hasn't played in the WJC and he just began in the AHL, so he'll need time. I want to see him start using his shot. I'm having a hard time remembering him actually fire the puck. But I'll tell you this: everyone says he's a good skater for his size. Forget "his size". He's a good skater, period. If he were 5-foot-9 and skated like this, he'd still be classified as a good skater. He's using his skating, size and his reach to play good defense, but he needs better awareness and quicker thinking on the ice.
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"Of course giving Sather cap space is like giving teenagers whiskey and car keys." - SBOB "Watching Sather build a team is like watching a blind man with no fingers trying to put together an elaborate puzzle." - Shadowtron
Sestito still on the make a wish tour. - rholt168
I think Miller is closer to the NHL. Once he smoothes out the rough patches that come with beginning to play adults, he can be at least a bottom-6 player next year. I think a 12+20=32 season is not unreasonable from him.
McIlrath needs more time. He hasn't played in the WJC and he just began in the AHL, so he'll need time. I want to see him start using his shot. I'm having a hard time remembering him actually fire the puck. But I'll tell you this: everyone says he's a good skater for his size. Forget "his size". He's a good skater, period. If he were 5-foot-9 and skated like this, he'd still be classified as a good skater. He's using his skating, size and his reach to play good defense, but he needs better awareness and quicker thinking on the ice.
Defensemen usually take longer than forwards to develop. The mistakes they make tend to be out there for all to see. As well missing almost the first 3 months of the year puts McIlrath behind other players as far as game conditioning. Just take a look at Staal last year coming back from the concussion--it took him almost to the playoffs to get back to where he was before. Have to be patient with DM. Beukeboom his defense coach took several years to finally get a permanent NHL job and we got a lot of mileage out of him.
Anyway the comments about his skating sound real good for us. That was a bit of a weakness a couple years ago.
Defensemen usually take longer than forwards to develop. The mistakes they make tend to be out there for all to see. As well missing almost the first 3 months of the year puts McIlrath behind other players as far as game conditioning. Just take a look at Staal last year coming back from the concussion--it took him almost to the playoffs to get back to where he was before. Have to be patient with DM. Beukeboom his defense coach took several years to finally get a permanent NHL job and we got a lot of mileage out of him.
Anyway the comments about his skating sound real good for us. That was a bit of a weakness a couple years ago.
If McIlrath makes the NHL in 12 months, he'll do it at exactly the same age as Beukeboom did.
Note that not only do defensemen take longer, but defensive defensemen in particular. There's nobody to cover for them. A forward of similar size and skating ability would've been in the NHL right now, contributing to the bottom-6. But you can't put McIlrath together with MDZ on the third pairing and expect Lundqvist not to go on strike.
With some injuries Sauer spent a good amount of time in the AHL until he was ready.....which was about the time I had given up on him in all honesty. I remember reading that many people, some of the coaches, beats and a number of posters here were surprised when he made the Rangers. The guys in Hartford were not surprised as I recall.
McIlrath should spend about two seasons in the A before he's ready, imo. There is a lot there to work with, but a lot of work to be done. He'll need every minute of it. He should not and will not be rushed.
