2012/13 General Heat Discussion Thread

[Pierre "Monster" McGuire]

And the Heat hang on to the 4-3 win over the Checkers! Whoa what a finish. Pinder sounded like he was going to have a heart attack.

[getbak]

Five wins in a row is nice to see. They don't seem to be making up any ground though.


They play again tomorrow at noon EST? That's insane. Less than 15 hours between games.


You have to think Feaster is fielding some calls from teams looking for d-men about Carson.

[Pierre "Monster" McGuire]

Here's glimpse into Ward's game day preparation. Great article that sort of lets you know what Ward is all about:

http://thecoachessite.com/troy-ward-...y-preparation/

Ward is the first member of his staff to arrive at the rink in the morning. According to those inside the Heat organization, this could be as early as 4am.

He uses this time to get organized to address the needs of his assistant coaches to ensure they are good teachers. Luke Strand is the team’s offensive coordinator (play with the puck) and Cail MacLean is the defensive coordinator (play without the puck). Jordan Sigalet takes care of the goaltenders. Each coordinator will have a 5 -10 minute meeting with the team, or group of players, in the morning prior to the pre-game skate.

A lot of information is going to be communicated to the players leading up to a game. It can’t all come from the head coach. You have to pick your spots.

Ward believes in a “hands off” approach, allowing his assistant coaches to do their jobs. He plans to address his group once during the day, generally two hours prior to puck drop and only for 3-8 minutes.

Occasionally, he will meet with his team in the morning to make announcements, such as trades, call ups, travel arrangements, etc. However, it’s rare that he’ll “double dip”, as he puts it, and go back to the team twice in one day. If you’re in front of your team too much, you risk losing your “stinger”.

Ward has a success pyramid displayed in his office, which outlines the process his team will follow throughout the season. The foundation of the pyramid is built on forming good habits and only expending energy on things you can control. Each time he addresses his team he sets their focus back on the pyramid. This keeps his message consistent and his players’ process orientated.

Ward never addresses his team following a game. Win or lose.
He doesn’t see anything positive in doing so. The players are mentally and physically exhausted after going to war for 60 plus minutes. They already know if they played well or poorly. There is also the risk of saying things you’ll regret and sending a new or conflicting message.

Instead, he provides himself the opportunity to watch film and form a thorough evaluation of his team’s play and each individual’s performance. The following day, he’ll be better fit to calmly and clearly articulate his thoughts.

[flames_fan13]

Just a reminder tomorrow's game is at 9am pacific 10am mountain. Might be a game with tired players on both teams. Brust is going to have to be sharp to make up for it.

[Tilley]

Was at the game last night and back for today's game. Thought the Heat dominated play last night short of a couple minutes in the 3rd. I'll add more thoughts tomorrow when i am not on my phone.

[devo22]

Heat lead 2-1 after 20. Breen and Ruegsegger the goal scorers with Horak and Reinhart both registering 2 assists. Brust 1-13.

[Short Shift]

Tied 4-4 in the 3rd.

Edit: 5-4 Checkers.

[Pierre "Monster" McGuire]

Ouch, that's 5 goals on Brust now. Pretty uncharacteristic of him this season. 5-4 Checkers.

[getbak]

Michal Jordan scored for Charlotte.

I wonder how often he gets misspelled fan mail intended for the Bobcats owner.

[Pierre "Monster" McGuire]

Reinhart has 5 points (all assists) in his last 6 games. I hope that's a sign of things to come. Glad he's taking advantage of the extra ice time.

Sylvester has 2 goals and 2 assists in his last 2 games.

Aliu has 3 points in his last 2 games (1 goals, 2 assists).

I'm liking what I'm seeing. Regardless of whether or not they win this morning.

[868904]

Originally Posted by Pierre "Monster" McGuire

Reinhart has 5 points (all assists) in his last 6 games. I hope that's a sign of things to come. Glad he's taking advantage of the extra ice time.

Sylvester has 2 goals and 2 assists in his last 2 games.

Aliu has 3 points in his last 2 games (1 goals, 2 assists).

I'm liking what I'm seeing. Regardless of whether or not they win this morning.

Yeah I'd rather see production out of the prospects then 1-0 wins due to Ward's great coaching.

I really don't see Ward sticking around with this organization long term so team success is secondary to individual prospect development to me.

Prospects putting up good numbers also raises their value in trades. I think we kind of got fooled into thinking Paul Byron and Luke Adams were offensive players given their ppg stats for the Sabres farm team.

It should all be about asset development.

[Northern Lites]

Originally Posted by 868904

Yeah I'd rather see production out of the prospects then 1-0 wins due to Ward's great coaching.

I really don't see Ward sticking around with this organization long term so team success is secondary to individual prospect development to me.

Prospects putting up good numbers also raises their value in trades. I think we kind of got fooled into thinking Paul Byron and Luke Adams were offensive players given their ppg stats for the Sabres farm team.

It should all be about asset development.

I totally agree,young prospects are like sponges, so able to absorb ideas and work ethics plus eager to develop. The stats, in my humble opinion, don't point to Ward developing prospects. He is a good enough coach but his players have pretty great stats playing with other teams, not so much with the Heat.

[Calgary4LIfe]

Originally Posted by Northern Lites

I totally agree,young prospects are like sponges, so able to absorb ideas and work ethics plus eager to develop. The stats, in my humble opinion, don't point to Ward developing prospects. He is a good enough coach but his players have pretty great stats playing with other teams, not so much with the Heat.

I think a development team like the Heat has to have balance. You need your prospects to develop their individual skills, but you also need to temper that with a winning environment (confidence comes from this, and 'learning' how to win) as well as get them used to playing strong team systems. Players coming out of Junior generally have a tougher time not only with the faster pro leagues (especially the NHL), but also at how much work is put into systems.

I think Ward is an excellent coach to get systems play across, and also how to make players more 'professional' and mature. Somewhere in there, hopefully there is also a big emphasis on developing each player's individual skill level.

[Tilley]

Made the yearly trek out to Charlotte to see the Heat in person. The Heat dominated Friday night's game except for a couple of minutes in the third while a more balanced game Saturday afternoon results in a 5-4 loss to the Checkers. The Heat remain first in the division, although the Marlies have two games in hand and only a single point behind.

Friday's lineup:

Walter-Street-Kolanos
Horak-Reinhart-Ruegsegger
Howse-Laing-Nemisz
Sylvester-Olson-Aliu

Breen-Carson
McKelvie-Lamb
Matczak-Callahan

Taylor

Saturday's lineup:

Walter-Street-Kolanos
Horak-Reinhart-Ruegsegger
Howse-Laing-Nemisz
Sylvester-Olson-Aliu

Breen-Carson
Matczak-Piskula
Breen with Lamb
MacKenzie with Piskula

Brust


Some parting thoughts:
Carson and Breen are a dominate shut down pairing for the Heat. Breen has improved tremendously since I watched him last April. He's a much better skater and much more physical in comparison to Pardy (when Pardy was with the Knights). Don't mistake Breen for an offensive dman, but he is a very good shut-down defender. Carson would be my first call up, but Breen is a close second.

Reinhart is a very intelligent player. Reads plays exceptionally well and is great in all three zones. He is still transitioning to the higher level of play offensively. You can see he has skills, but he can't quite put it together yet. It will be interesting to see if he can contribute more offensively by the end of the year, but he has smart linemates in Horak and Ruegsegger who are also very high hockey IQs. If he doesn't get the offense together, he will make an ideal 3rd line/shutdow center in the NHL.

I was impressed with Lamb. Physical, with a few skill plays that I didn't expect to see. He has more offense than he's shown thus far and once he is fully adjusted to the level of play, I would expect him to be a nice top 4 dman in the AHL with the potential to be a two-way bottom pairing option (similar to Ference) if he gets a chance in the NHL.

Nemisz has improved his skating since April and does not look to be a limiting factor for him. He's playing on a 3rd/4th line and besides a couple of hard working plays, doesn't show the offensive ability that some had hoped he would show. He doesn't get any PP time, but he would be a great option down low to screen the goalie and put away any loose rebounds.

Taylor was very sharp Friday night while Brust allowed a couple of softies Saturday afternoon. Brust had two seemingly easy stops from the point get through him. Although it definitely not his best game, Brust is excellent in tight. Great lateral movement and extremely quick reflexes. That said, if I needed a call up it would be Taylor. Taylor is a calming factor while Brust seems to be more havoc enducing. Taylor is not flashy, but very technically sound with efficient movements.

Matczak is not an AHL level defenseman. He was lit up all weekend long. The veteran rule handcuffs the Heat with dman as it would be ideal to dress Breen, Carson, McKelvie, Lamb, Piskula, and MacKenzie. Unfortunately that can't happen. Therefore Matczak gets in the lineup and gets overwhelmed. He was steam-rolled by a Checker forward leading directly to a goal and was out-muscled or out of position seemingly every play. I would expect the Heat to add another defenseman before the clear day deadline to bolster the back end.

Olson is a great find. He is like a more skilled version of Bancks although at the center position. He is constantly hustling and is great along the boards. He's not huge, but plays much bigger than he is. Don't mistake him for a top 6 forward, but he is a great 3rd liner in the AHL and could earn a cup of coffee in the NHL if he continues to develop.

If anyone has any questions based on this weekend's play, I'll share my thoughts.

[Vulcan]

Always great to read Tilley's posts.

[Itse]

Out of thanks, so need to thank Tilley this way. Great info/perspective. Those kinds of posts are the most valuable stuff on this board IMO.

[Itse]

Originally Posted by Pierre "Monster" McGuire

Here's glimpse into Ward's game day preparation. Great article that sort of lets you know what Ward is all about:

http://thecoachessite.com/troy-ward-...y-preparation/

Interesting read, thanks. It really confirms the previous stories of how much Ward is about building the players up and being constructive, to the point of avoiding situations where the wrong things are easily said. Sounds like a great development coach, or at least one who has put a lot of thought into the way he does things.

I'm still hoping to see him behind the Flames bench one day.

[devo22]

Originally Posted by Tilley

If anyone has any questions based on this weekend's play, I'll share my thoughts.

any thoughts on Ryan Howse?

Thanks for the big write-up, really appreciated. Interesting stuff.

[Tilley]

Originally Posted by devo22

any thoughts on Ryan Howse?

Thanks for the big write-up, really appreciated. Interesting stuff.

Howse was an interesting case. He didn't stand out in either game and I had to look for him to form an opinion. Reports of poor fitness I had the image of a chubby little winger huffing and puffing behind the play. That certainly wasn't the case as he stayed with the play, but I could see if he were to be in better shape, he would be more dynamic and be able to create more space to get open. He was able to get off a laser once and zipped it just wide of the top corner, but to have one good opportunity in two games speaks to his current status.

His linemates (Laing and Nemisz) are a couple of hard-working skaters, but they spent more time in the defensive zone than creating any offense. Howse did hold his own defensively which was nice to see, but that's about all I can say. In his 2nd year pro I would hope that he would be further along. At this point, the NHL is not looking likely. He isn't fast enough or shifty enough to create space to get his shot off and if he isn't in the top six he's not going to be in the lineup as there are better options if Bancks is healthy.

[Pierre "Monster" McGuire]

Thanks for the writeup Tilley. I never get to see the Heat on the road, so thanks a ton for that!

Everything you said sounds about right, except for what you said about Matczak. It must've been a real 'off' weekend for him. The four games I've seen of him, he's made the right plays for the most part. He's an excellent puck mover and has good skating. Since Brodie's left, he's been the only player to really join or lead the rush. He's been a sufficient replacement for Brodie from what I've seen.