What about the Salunier twins in Moncton? They're undrafted and overagers, but they've both been PPG+ for three straight seasons. Anybody watch Melindy closely or watched Gormley closely that saw the twins and thought they were worth contracts or a camp invite?
Just wondering who will be Maloney's surprise mystery signing this year. Shinnimin was understandable because he'd come to our camp before, but Miele was pretty surprising.
The Saulniers aren't near good enough skaters to play in the NHL. They have great chemistry together and they know how to find open ice, but with the speed of the NHL game those gaps close up fast. Also, when the game heats up physically, they often become a non-factor.
Melindy has disappointed me a bit this year. I really thought he'd be a rock on the top 4 this year but he's been wildly inconsistent. I think he may be trying to do too much. I like his grit, willingness to stand up for teammates, etc. but he takes some really awful penalties. Hopefully we'll see him tighten up the screws down the stretch here because he's got all the right tools.
The Saulniers aren't near good enough skaters to play in the NHL. They have great chemistry together and they know how to find open ice, but with the speed of the NHL game those gaps close up fast. Also, when the game heats up physically, they often become a non-factor.
Melindy has disappointed me a bit this year. I really thought he'd be a rock on the top 4 this year but he's been wildly inconsistent. I think he may be trying to do too much. I like his grit, willingness to stand up for teammates, etc. but he takes some really awful penalties. Hopefully we'll see him tighten up the screws down the stretch here because he's got all the right tools.
Any other undrafted juniors you're seeing that you think might be worth a gamble?
Personally, I don't think Miele is going to be Marty St. Louis or anything, but if Maloney does hit big on one of these undrafted steals, I'll be the first to say it's a worthwhile scouting venture.
Looking at the contracts, it could be pretty crowded in Portland next year, depending on who plays where. I'm not sure if Miele's coming back or if Ruuttu will be coming over, but there's an awful lot of 20-22 year old forwards in the pipeline. If they keep a guy like Bolduc around, there may not be room to sign twins.
I'd adopt the moneyball approach; sign every guy that gets passed over for some stupid reason. I don't really think there's much difference between Cory Conacher and Andy Miele. It's the system and the players around them that creates such a disparity. If Tippett is going to maintain the mentality that players who make the jump have to be 'finished' products, I don't see the Coyotes being very appealing to potentials.
The Saulniers aren't near good enough skaters to play in the NHL. They have great chemistry together and they know how to find open ice, but with the speed of the NHL game those gaps close up fast. Also, when the game heats up physically, they often become a non-factor.
Melindy has disappointed me a bit this year. I really thought he'd be a rock on the top 4 this year but he's been wildly inconsistent. I think he may be trying to do too much. I like his grit, willingness to stand up for teammates, etc. but he takes some really awful penalties. Hopefully we'll see him tighten up the screws down the stretch here because he's got all the right tools.
I will agree on Melindy. Just so inconsistent. Not even from game to game (yes that, too) but shift to shift. Not q good sign. Still, a decent long-term project. No doubt about that.
I'd adopt the moneyball approach; sign every guy that gets passed over for some stupid reason. I don't really think there's much difference between Cory Conacher and Andy Miele. It's the system and the players around them that creates such a disparity. If Tippett is going to maintain the mentality that players who make the jump have to be 'finished' products, I don't see the Coyotes being very appealing to potentials.
You will sign any player without a single one of the twenty nine other teams sniffing around. I can't imagine this is the most desirable destination for unheralded prospects. Or heralded ones for that matter.
Hi, I came here looking for some info on Maxim Goncharov.
He had a down year last year and does not appear to be doing too well in Portland this season.
What happened to him and why is he struggling?
Tia.
Proud to officially be a part of the @phoenixcoyotes organization. Je remercie tous ceux qui ont été là pour moi depuis le début @HuskiesRn
From Mathieu's twitter. Looks like it is official.
ALSO: Kale Kessy had another one of his big games. 2 goals, 2 assists, and a 10 minute misconduct in the Blazers' 6-0 thrashing of the Royals. I'm really interested to see how he pans out. I about lost my mind watching him dominate that game a few months ago on the NHL network, but then he seems to disappear off the stat sheet for games at a time. Plus getting traded twice in one season? Does anyone up north have a better scouting report on him beyond just his points and penalties?
Any other undrafted juniors you're seeing that you think might be worth a gamble?
I can only really speak for the Q since that's the league I watch the most. Here are some guys that intrigue me:
Matthew Bisonnette - LW - Acadie Bathurst Titan
He's had a bit of an unfair ride I think. In his draft year he was traded from a contender to a team with an ass for a coach. So he got traded again. I think this triggered the "attitude problem" tag that unfairly gets dumped on a lot of young players these days. He's also had some injury problems (concussion) which has led to more accusations of conditioning problems and laziness. What's hard to deny though is he's well over a PPG when he's in the lineup. He has remarkable vision and playmaking abilities. BTW did I mention he's 6'4", 210 lbs? Cause there's that too. I'd be interested to take a flyer on him and see if the tags are true, because the tools are all there for sure.
Mackenzie Weegar - D - Halifax Mooseheads
Someone is probably going to draft this guy as an 18 year old and get themselves a good player, so I'm not sure that he'd be available. I've talked a bit about him in the draft thread, but his stock likely took a hit last year because he played junior A in his draft year. He's one of those unheralded all around guys that doesn't make a lot of noise but you need them to win. Nothing super flashy about his game, but you look at the game sheet at the end of the night and see that he had 2 assists and ate up 20-25 minutes.
Christophe Lalonde - LW - Moncton Wildcats
He's only 5'9", 180 lbs (and that might be a tad generous) but you could make a comparison to Brad Marchand. Doesn't have the quite the same hands and shiftiness as Marchand, but the guy works his ass off every shift, battling along the boards, creating chances and getting under the opposition skin. He's not scared of anything. The defensive part of his game and work ethic has always been there, but the guy could never put the puck in the net. But consider this. As a 16 year old he scored 3 goals. As a 17 yo he scored 4 goals. This year as an 18 yo he has... 26... on the third line! Seems to be developing nicely into an all around player.
I can only really speak for the Q since that's the league I watch the most. Here are some guys that intrigue me:
Matthew Bisonnette - LW - Acadie Bathurst Titan
He's had a bit of an unfair ride I think. In his draft year he was traded from a contender to a team with an ass for a coach. So he got traded again. I think this triggered the "attitude problem" tag that unfairly gets dumped on a lot of young players these days. He's also had some injury problems (concussion) which has led to more accusations of conditioning problems and laziness. What's hard to deny though is he's well over a PPG when he's in the lineup. He has remarkable vision and playmaking abilities. BTW did I mention he's 6'4", 210 lbs? Cause there's that too. I'd be interested to take a flyer on him and see if the tags are true, because the tools are all there for sure.
Mackenzie Weegar - D - Halifax Mooseheads
Someone is probably going to draft this guy as an 18 year old and get themselves a good player, so I'm not sure that he'd be available. I've talked a bit about him in the draft thread, but his stock likely took a hit last year because he played junior A in his draft year. He's one of those unheralded all around guys that doesn't make a lot of noise but you need them to win. Nothing super flashy about his game, but you look at the game sheet at the end of the night and see that he had 2 assists and ate up 20-25 minutes.
Christophe Lalonde - LW - Moncton Wildcats
He's only 5'9", 180 lbs (and that might be a tad generous) but you could make a comparison to Brad Marchand. Doesn't have the quite the same hands and shiftiness as Marchand, but the guy works his ass off every shift, battling along the boards, creating chances and getting under the opposition skin. He's not scared of anything. The defensive part of his game and work ethic has always been there, but the guy could never put the puck in the net. But consider this. As a 16 year old he scored 3 goals. As a 17 yo he scored 4 goals. This year as an 18 yo he has... 26... on the third line! Seems to be developing nicely into an all around player.
Kinda surprised Maloney went for another D-man. But if he's Patrice's son, then it's not as surprising.
Interesting twist that Portland will be getting Mathieu Brisebois since he began his career in Lewiston, the only reason he ended up in R-N is because the franchise was terminated after the 09-10 season and before the 2010-11 season, Jeff ought to be thrilled that another tie to that history is coming in.
To be honest I haven't seen him a whole lot. He plays for the team that is furthest away from me so I only get to see them live once a year, and I missed that game this year. So I've been restricted to a few webcasts.
From the limited viewings, I would say he's definitely an offensive defenseman that has a physical part to his game. He's not a liability though. Not overly quick. He's an above average defenseman in the Q, but he's also an overager and you'd expect your 20 year-olds to be impact players. I don't think we necessarily have the next Sergei Zubov on our hands, but surely for Portland he'll be an upgrade over say, Brodeur, who I've never liked as a pick since the start. Guy was a walking traffic cone in junior.
