Just finished watching the Sharks vs. Whale game, Sateri (he did get the start which was a bit surprising) was sensational but here's a question for you Worcester people, who follow the club even more closely than me. Has Harri ever had an injury to his left arm/wrist/hand? His glove play is a little awkward in comparison to the rest of his technique, and I'm just wondering if a past injury is the root cause of this--if you notice, teams are actually going glove side on him a lot as they too recognize it's his big weakness.
"[...] the additions of Brent Burns and Martin Havlat required San Jose to give up a good amount of draft picks and prospects, one of which included arguably the team's future in Charlie Coyle."
You keep using that word. I don't think you know what it means.
Hertl is easily the Sharks best spec, coming from someone who's seen almost all Sharks prospects play this season. Hands, smarts, two-way play, strength, desire to drive the net, net-front presence, stickwork, all things that are far superior to any other Sharks spec.
But really, comparing him to Logan Couture? They're such different players, that's a pathetic comparison at best.
I think he means in terms of their skating ability. I keep watching Hertl, and it's not that bad, he has a decent stride, good power, it's just not a thing of beauty. I'm curious though, who would you liken Hertl to?
I kind of see him as a smaller Antropov with a few mods. But I'm always weird with comparisons, and I don't have a big enough knowledge of older players to really go back further than I've been alive.
I think he means in terms of their skating ability. I keep watching Hertl, and it's not that bad, he has a decent stride, good power, it's just not a thing of beauty. I'm curious though, who would you liken Hertl to?
I kind of see him as a smaller Antropov with a few mods. But I'm always weird with comparisons, and I don't have a big enough knowledge of older players to really go back further than I've been alive.
"Hertl does not have much speed, but there are parallels to Logan Couture in the way he plays."
Direct quote from the article.
In my opinion, as far as his skating goes, it's not like he's a lumbering player. He has decent agility and decent top-speed. I think his acceleration is the biggest issue.
No comparison jumps out at me, like they do sometimes when you're watching a prospect. He's really his own animal.
The US WJC camp opened yesterday and due to some very iffy IIHF rules Noesen (who was suspended for 10 games in the OHL and the IIHF says they will honor the suspension) has already gone home. It's a pretty big loss for the US as he was expected to play a big role, they now only have four natural RW's in camp.
The US is taking all 26 players to Finland and will make their cuts on Dec. 23nd. My opinion is that Kuraly is still on the bubble but considering they now only need to cut one forward his chances of making the team are pretty good, especially if the US decides to move Grimaldi to wing.
Also, for people who want to watch the US - these are all EST (I believe):
WJC on NHL Network
Thu Dec. 27 9:00 AM USA vs. GER ( 8:00 PM - Replay )
Fri Dec. 28 9:00 AM USA vs. RUS ( 8:00 PM - Replay )
Sun Dec. 30 4:30 AM USA vs. CAN (8:00 PM - Replay )
Mon Dec. 31 5:00 AM USA vs. SVK ( 8:00 PM - Replay )
Last edited by stalockrox: 12-17-2012 at 03:12 PM.
London knights on a 21 game winning streak and Tierney has 21 pts averaging a ppg. He has played really well last 10-15 games in all three zones!!
The win streak the Knights are on is ridiculous! The CHL doesn't track ice time so I could be wrong but from the several Knights games I've watched he's still being used as the shutdown / checking center (minus the last two games) and doesn't get a whole lot of PP time. Most of his production comes at even strength.
You can see he still has another level offensively which will hopefully continue show, but he's in a great org for his development - on a very good team with a very good coach.
The win streak the Knights are on is ridiculous! The CHL doesn't track ice time so I could be wrong but from the several Knights games I've watched he's still being used as the shutdown / checking center (minus the last two games) and doesn't get a whole lot of PP time. Most of his production comes at even strength.
You can see he still has another level offensively which will hopefully continue show, but he's in a great org for his development - on a very good team with a very good coach.
I've only watched at couple of Knights games, but I agree completely. He's being used almost exclusively in a checking role and doesn't get any PP time at all. My guess as to why would be because Max Domi (2013 eligible) is a null player in the defensive and neutral zones, needs to be sheltered significantly.
That said, he has the skills to put up more offense if he were in the position to do so. You can see his size, skating, hands, vision, drive to the net, it's all there at a solid level, certainly a higher level than you'd suspect purely looking at point totals. In one of the games I saw, he could have had 3 or 4 points if not for poor linemates/the goalies making a great save.
I have followed CT since I coached against him in minor hockey and thought he was one of the smartest hockey players I have seen. In minor midget he was an offensive force great hands and vision and put up great numbers on the top OMHA team YSE which obviously did not go unnoticed by Mark Hunter. In his first year in the O he struggled one due to mono and a concussion but at the same time I thought he was not being used properly in London but boy was I wrong. The Hunters taught him to play defense and today he is more known as a defensive forward shut down type and he and Horvat are two of the best face-off centres in the league. D Hunter values D first from all players and he has CT in this role against all the top lines so great to see he is also putting up some decent numbers in this position. The one thing I think he still needs to develop is his hot and shooting as he still looks to pass first needs to be more selfish with the puck.
Seems consistent with what I've seen, read, and heard.
Incidentally, Bo Horvat seems like your typical Pavelski-type, Sharks pick. If we end up in the very end of the first round and there are no significant fallers, I'd take a flyer on this guy.
I think when Harrington gets back from Ufa, we'll see even more of a surge from Chris--which will really help his development, because if he doesn't, there's a chance the Knights will throw the dice and go after a bigger named offensive weapon, and relegate Tierney to his very specific role. I've noticed since the Captain has been absent, he's been given heavy minutes to try and compensate for what they lose by not having Scott Harrington on their blueline. On top of that, I'm pretty sure he's playing hurt (he's wearing special protective equipment on his arm). That's one of the most amazing things I've been noticing about Sharks prospects--they play hurt because they have so much passion, drive, and heart (maybe even a little bit of stupidity haha).
I think when Harrington gets back from Ufa, we'll see even more of a surge from Chris--which will really help his development, because if he doesn't, there's a chance the Knights will throw the dice and go after a bigger named offensive weapon, and relegate Tierney to his very specific role. I've noticed since the Captain has been absent, he's been given heavy minutes to try and compensate for what they lose by not having Scott Harrington on their blueline. On top of that, I'm pretty sure he's playing hurt (he's wearing special protective equipment on his arm). That's one of the most amazing things I've been noticing about Sharks prospects--they play hurt because they have so much passion, drive, and heart (maybe even a little bit of stupidity haha).
What does Harrington playing (or not) have to do w/ Tierney's production? With Domi missing the last two games Tierney was given a bit more of an offensive role but he's regularly used as the shutdown/checking center - I'm not sure how much more Hunter can "relegate him to his very specific role".
As Sirom mentioned Tierney has been playing at a PPG pace over the past 5 or 6 weeks which is really good when you consider his role. His development seems to be going just fine.
WJC...
The US (Kuraly) is playing a pre-touney game against Sweden tomorrow morning and then against Finland on Saturday morning.
The NHL Network will be showing all of the US games plus a couple of others. If anyone is interested in watching (or recording and watching later) here's the TV schedule: http://www.usahockey.com/world_junio...rkRelease.aspx
WJC...
The US (Kuraly) is playing a pre-touney game against Sweden tomorrow morning and then against Finland on Saturday morning.
The NHL Network will be showing all of the US games plus a couple of others. If anyone is interested in watching (or recording and watching later) here's the TV schedule: http://www.usahockey.com/world_junio...rkRelease.aspx
Also posted in NHL News thread is the SXM radio coverage (of US/Canada WJC games) -- live and replay (when west coasters may actually be awake).
What does Harrington playing (or not) have to do w/ Tierney's production? With Domi missing the last two games Tierney was given a bit more of an offensive role but he's regularly used as the shutdown/checking center - I'm not sure how much more Hunter can "relegate him to his very specific role".
As Sirom mentioned Tierney has been playing at a PPG pace over the past 5 or 6 weeks which is really good when you consider his role. His development seems to be going just fine.
Oh no, I totally agree, I didn't say his Development was shaky or not going fine. I'm merely watching him play.
Despite his last 2 big games (due to Domi's absence as you mentioned), His Ozone vs. DZone starts have fallen in this stretch. The sample size is small, but come January it should be more telling. Meaning Hunter is using him even more as a defensive crutch to help out the d-pairings (minus Zadorov and company), and utilizing his faceoff prowess to get the team out of the defensive zone. The effect of Zone starts are substantial on offensive output (it's +.42 per 60mins in the NHL according to Charron--and I'd speculate higher in the O), when Harrington returns I expect that number to correct itself. And for Tierney to get more OZone starts. The impact of this is--even with Domi back, hopefully it will correlate to more offensive production so the team doesn't invest in another top 6 forward, because if that's the case he'll lose what few PP time he gets, and obtain fewer ozone starts.
Last edited by Craig Fischer: 12-20-2012 at 01:59 AM.
Kuraly (wearing #7) is going to get a chance to show his offense today skating between Galchenyuk and Lucia, at least for a shift or two - he needs to have two very good games in all 3 zones to give himself a chance to make this team.
Here's the lines - the US is going w/ 11 forwards:
Mark Masters @markhmasters
USA lines v Sweden: Galchenyuk-Kuraly-Lucia; Vesey-Trocheck-Biggs; Pietila-Bardreau-Hartman; Matteau-No center-Barber (going w 11 forwards)
Last edited by stalockrox: 12-20-2012 at 10:52 AM.
