Dan Weiss Play by Play Announcer for the San Antonio Rampage
Jan 12 - Fan 960
http://pmd.fan960.com/radio/fan960/p...112-102304.mp3
- he is a NHLer.
- only reason he is in AHL the previous CBA it stipulated that you could only play 69 NHL games with waiver exemption
- had he been called up he would have played the remaining 2 games and wouldn't have cleared waivers to be sent back down
- to Shore's credit, he was aware of the situation (being stuck in the AHL) and still worked his tail off
- was and still is on the verge of a breakout season offensively
- over the last couple of months his 2 way game was exceptional
- his defensive game really improved under Coach Rowe
- will be a nice fit for Calgary
- he won't be a Gaudreau exciting type player - that is not his level
- he is going to be a really good NHL player
- Panthers were already setup down the middle with Bjugstad, Barkov, Bolland and MacKenzie before the season started
- that left guys like Shore and Trochek on the outside looking in
- with the depth down the center many people viewed Shore as a trade chip
- Panther fans were hoping that Shore would have been traded for a full time NHL player
- kudos to Tallon to giving Drew a chance to play in the NHL
- 3rd season as a pro, going to turn 24 at the end of the month
- his defensive game has come to the point he is trusted to play on the PK (wasn't trusted to play on the PK in his first or 2nd year)
- his vision on the ice is exceptional
- he has an above average shot but he doesn't shoot enough - something that they will want him to work on
- given his situation and that he didn't go with a "woe is me attitude" reflects upon his maturity
- really loved in the lockeroom - great teammate
- he is best as a center
- still needs work in faceoffs
- Panthers tried him last year as a RW in training camp and a few preseason games
- thought he had success as a RW and that the Panthers would keep him there
- but Panthers decided to shift him back to center
- he has played C this entire year
- would be shocked if he didn't play C right now - but that may depend on the teams needs
- he is not a small kid
- can line up with bigger centers and can throw his weight around
- he is not going to drop the gloves
- can play the 3rd/4th line roles - playing with physicality and energy
- that is why he is a pretty unique player - he doesn't need to be in the top 6 role to thrive
- I don't expect him to jump into a top 6 role right away
- he does have the skillset and hockeyiq to move into a top 6 role
- Calgary is getting a good player. They are getting a solid NHL player and they will be happy with what they recieve
on Adirondack:
- Adirondack is a very good hockey team
- the game they played against the Rampage was arguably one of their best this season
- the transition game is really something really to marvel
- been really impressed with Hanowski and Arnold - think they are going to be special players, offensive talent is impressive
- 2 years ago Ortio was lost at times, last year he was an entirely different player - dominant goaltender
- Adirondack is built for the playoffs - got the goaltending and offense
- got some deficiences on the backend like a lot of AHL teams