Sven Bärtschi: Evaluating His First 9 Games

[nickk382]

I've been trying to watch every period of every game but with my schedule it's difficult to do that. I just really wanted to know what you guys have thought about him so far through his first 9 games this season. I consistently check stats and today, he is only at 1 assist in his 9 games played with a -2.

I personally don't think that stats entirely reflect the actual way the individual has played, but I just got really excited about him starting strong. I hope he has that game where he reacquires his confidence and furthermore, I hope he can build off of that confidence.

Go Flames!

[Bandwagon In Flames]

From what I've seen he has been very professional regardless of which situation he's been in. I see a lot of progression from game 9 compared to game 1. He's learning what he can do at the NHL level as well as what plays he can no longer get away with. I see a more north/south game from him and hes winning more puck battles than he previously was.

I expect him to start producing more regularly with consistent minutes along side better linemates. He may only have 1 assist, but it sure was a beauty of NHL caliber. Once he builds some confidence I see him earning the trust of Hartley and will be given extended powerplay time which he has now had a taste of.

[calgARI]

I'd say after Hudler, Tanguay, and Backlund, he has been the most dangerous offensive player with the puck. Unreal acceleration in tight with great offensive instincts. He's legit and will start scoring sooner rather than later.

It would be great that when the Flames add a second center to the lineup, Backlund, to have those two together again. They looked deadly in their short time together at the start of the season.

[kirant]

Part of the issue with using stats is the coach: Hartley has been known to be tough on his rookies. Tanguay had a rough ride with him in Colorado if memory serves.

As for Baertschi, he's where I expected him to be: developing. He's showing signs of absolute brilliance, but sometimes looks lost and weak. Defensively, he's making adjustments from the AHL to the NHL. He'll grow into his role I'm sure. He's looked much smarter the last couple games.

[calgARI]

Originally Posted by kirant

Part of the issue with using stats is the coach: Hartley has been known to be tough on his rookies. Tanguay had a rough ride with him in Colorado if memory serves.

As for Baertschi, he's where I expected him to be: developing. He's showing signs of absolute brilliance, but sometimes looks lost and weak. Defensively, he's making adjustments from the AHL to the NHL. He'll grow into his role I'm sure. He's looked much smarter the last couple games.

Definitely lacks strength and getting bounced around a lot. Not all that different than Backlund when he first came up but has made some progress in this area despite still being made of glass.

[Wronskian]

Love his creativity, still just as excited about him as I was last year when he had 3g in 5 games. The points will come with time and perhaps an enhanced role

[Phaneufenstein]

I like everything I've seen from his so far, but he has to put on some muscle in the next little while to become more effective. If he can improve his play in the corners and along the boards, he can be a force.

[Sakari]

He's been awesome. Can't wait til he pots a goal.

[StrykerSteve]

He's been knocked off the puck with relative ease for the most part, needs to increase his upper body strength for next season. Because of this, his ice time has been relatively limited.

That being said, he's still good for one or two offensive plays per game that make you take notice of him.

Still waiting for that breakout game, if Hartley keeps giving him 14 minutes per night, it'll come sooner than later. But if he's playing 4-5 minutes each night, he'd be better off playing in Abby.

Can say this with 100% certainty though... when he is on the ice and has the puck on his stick, I'm excited. Calgary could play him 20 minutes a night and lose, and I'd still walk away with a smile on my face.

[Imported_Aussie]

Put him on a line with Stempniak, a smart vet who plays with more of an edge. Would also be a good mentor in terms of adjustment to NHL. So would Tanguay, as he was a rookie under Hartley, as kirant mentioned.
I think actively encouraging vets on this team to mentor guys would be a good move.

[HELPNEEDED]

underwhelming.

[Yakbutter]

Seen flashes of great skill from him. Some games it seems like he gets 2 or 3 great scoring chances. Be patient with him, it's obvious the skill is there it's just a matter of time before some goals start going in.

And it's not like he's going to set the world on fire playing bottom 6 with Comeau.

[Wronskian]

He seems enthusiastic, something that seems to be lacking in the dressing room. I'm sure he's not exactly thrilled about his start to the season in terms of points but it's hard to argue that his presence has been anything but positive.

[Caged Great]

Concussions can severely hamper prospects development. I hope that Sven does not suffer another one, otherwise he might end up going down the route of Shane Willis etc.

[Mightyfire89]

Frankly, I don't think he's been very good at all. He constantly looks at least a step behind and appears to be easily bumped off the puck by opposing players. I'm sure he'll figure it out and maybe more ice time would help with that, but so far, he hasn't shown much. You can however tell that he's got elite passing ability. He's just got to catch up with the speed of the league to use it more effectively.

[Huntingwhale]

Hasn't been too bad considering his icetime. Ever since he came back from injury I think that he has slowly gotten better each game. Glad to see that he has been getting some power play time.

I think fans and staff will have to be patient with him. Hoping for him to compete for the Calder was a bit far fetched. I think he might take a season or 2 to break out. But when he does...I think he will explode offensively and pot 30+, possibly 40 in the right circumstance. But I think that is a couple seasons away.

He needs to get bigger and stronger though. He loses puck battles in close and takes more hits then he dishes.

[Psytic]

I almost think he would be better off in the AHL right now. The skill is there but he needs to put on more size as others have said.

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by HELPNEEDED

underwhelming.

Precisely.

Doesnt mean a lot at this stage, but he simply has been less than average.

[LouCypher]

I don't mind that they shelter him but he also needs minutes. I think expectations for his rookie year were quite high and it should be no surprise that he doesn't quite reach those expectations. I think we'll see him start to have more impact as the season wanes, next year will be a bigger leap forward for Sven.

[Captain_Obvious]

Really tough to judge one way or the other with that injury.

Too small a sample size considering the time spent hurt and returning from injury.