There's not nearly enough Brandon Hickey talk in this thread. The guy was the best defenseman out there - he was never out of position, he made great passes and snuffed out chances before they became anything. And while we should be so lucky that he actually turns out this good, Hickey glides around like Doughty out there. Stretch though that may be, it isn't a stretch to say Brandon Hickey is this team's best defensive prospect, and there's a convincing argument to be made he's the best prospect in the system.
Oliver Kylington is too explosive for development camp - if he didn't want to give the puck up, there weren't many guys who could get it from him. He skates himself into trouble - a number of rushes started with a spectacular flourish and ended with Kylington pinned into the corner of the offensive zone. He almost looks like the sort of player who needs professionals who can keep up with what he's trying to do, because most of his forwards flat out couldn't. Also, he was born for 3-on-3.
Rittich was el terriblé - lost the net a bunch, a couple posts, and a buzzer beater to top it all off.
McDonald had his best performance in three years of development camps - no head scratching goals.
Tyler Parsons looks really good. Really athletic, aggressive and a super compact stance. Lot of explosiveness in his lower body, and it's easy to see where the Quick comparables come up. Really good in shootouts too.
Matthew Phillips had a highlight reel shootout effort, andade a nice play up the middle to shape shift between the D. Didn't get much of a shot off - I was standing next to a woman whose kids clearly grew up playing with Phillips and she got enthusiastic every time he got the puck. I thought it was sweet and spent a lot of the 2nd frame wondering why I'm such a jackass. Outside of those two notable moments, there wasn't a ton notable about his game. He's a project, but he has a long way to go if he's going to have a future in pro hockey. He looks about one tenth as elusive as Johnny.
Andersson needs a treadmill. Kanzig blew by him. And not because Kanzig has been Scott Niedermayer all week - he's been his usual glacial self. Rasmus was out of breath and didn't have the focus to stay with him. Really not impressed with his camp.
Jankowski was better at the start when he was on a line with Tkachuk and Austin Carroll - they had a few good shifts down low. Once they got split up, the lines were in a blender the rest of the way. Both Mark and Matthew (we need a Luke up front) are going to be top 6 NHL forwards.
Tkachuk's skating concerns are way overblown. He's got a really powerful stride and he's never behind the play. He doesn't look like he's got that top gear that Gaudreau or Bennett have, but he'll never struggle to keep up.
ET is deserving of all the hype. Physically imposing, great on the fore check and cycle, had a nice play where he walked the line and dangled through some guys, great top shelf finish on both in game goals, his penalty shot was tricksy and he looks like he has a real future. Excited to see him develop, really hope he comes to Everett or better yet Stockton.
Nothing changed from yesterday re Kanzig and AOM -don't see those players with roles on this team at the NHL level.
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I hope you dont mind savvy, I am just going to add what I thought of each player like a leech on your impressions.
For the record I was in the Opposite end from the seats against the glass so impressions of players seem to be different than what others may have seen
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Originally Posted by Savvy27
Team McDonald (Red)
Rasmus Andersson - love his game. He's the smartest defenceman of the bunch and most consistently makes the right play when the puck is on his stick. Defensively he looks a bit messy, particularly on the rush, but I think he breaks up the most plays outside of Hickey. He's got the highest potential of the D prospects in my opinion and while his fitness didn't seem outstanding or anything, I'm baffled by the focus on it.
On ice play I thought was very solid. He sees the play and how it develops very well. He was notably gassed in front of me after a play went up the boards. High potential here.
Austin Carroll - really solid showing, particularly in the first half. Almost all of the AHL guys had a calmness and professionalism to their game. They don't chase the play as much as other guys and they seem to have more purpose when they enter into board battles. Carroll was no exception and I think he showed well at both ends of the rink. He's a good player who I could see getting a taste of the NHL eventually.
Really enjoyed Carrolls play today. Very solid in both ends , made smart decisions , Jammed when he could and made plays when they were available
Ryan Culkin - looked pretty much the same as he always does. Great skater with good positioning and makes smart passes. Didn't seem like he was trying to wow anyone out there but played a solid game that included jumping in on the rush and on the cycle in the offensive zone. Defensively he looked like one of the better players out there. Hopefully his injury woes are behind him and he can work his way back into contention to be a call up.
Noticeably on a few plays and did not stand out in a bad way. Shot needs improvement from what i saw today.
Dillon Dube - he's going to be an interesting prospect to follow. He's one of the smoother players and has top end speed. He got a few chances with both speed and positioning in the offensive zone and showed courage going into the corners to battle for the puck. He scored a nice shootout goal on Parsons when it was looking like he might shut the door on the red team. Not sure if I'm fully sold on him as a second round pick but there was a lot to like today.
Speed , showed very strong hockey sense and a good shot.
Mark Jankowski - his scrimmage this year was a pretty big step down from last year where he was the best player on the ice. He was more noticeable in the first part of the first half, but it wasn't always in a good way. He definitely forced a few passes and missed one of his shots by about 10 feet (or so it looked). I thought he calmed down in the second half and had a more effective game. He had a few shifts where he used his reach and protected the puck really well. He was trying to make things happen but the plays just didn't seem to come together today. It's obvious that he has taken a lot of steps in his forechecking and defensive game from when he was first drafted though. I'm excited but I think talk of him coming in and making the team out of camp is probably premature. I felt he was strong in the first half of the game. Did many small things right and made several nice plays with tkatchuk and his linemates. I feel part of the down sentiment is he did not make the WOW plays. He is ready for big AHL minutes.
Adam Ollas-Mattson - most surprising player for me. As a prospect that was far down my list as far as interest goes, I thought he had an exceptional showing. He was in the mix with Andersson and Kylington in his performance today and showed impressive creativity with the puck and in the offensive zone. His defensive game is solid and he was a physical presence who disrupted the cycle a few times. He is a better prospect than I'd given him credit for and I think he has a chance to be an NHL player. Very big, very strong, skating is adequate, hockey sense looks great, and skills are better than expected.
Made several plays that showed patience and intelligence. I did not feel his skating was lacking too much.
Hunter Smith - his skating has improved by leaps and bounds and he seems to have a good understanding of the basic things that he is supposed to do out there. He took quite a few hits as I am sure there are a lot of players who want to show the coaches that they are fearless out there. He hurt himself with a boarding play that ended up in the other team getting a penalty shot. In the end though, I'm not a fan of his game and as a player who has a season of professional hockey under his belt I think his performance was weaker than a few of the guys out of junior and even some of the invites. I feel smith has better skill then most give him credit for. He is a developing player without a doubt However, He gets himself open to be in a position to make a play, Did a good job protecting the puck along the boards. He needs work once the puck is on his stick but dont write this guy out just yet.
Matthew Tkachuk - a little surprised by the lukewarm reviews. I thought he had a stronger first half where he controlled the puck really well and made unspectacular but perfect passes to teammates in motion. He took the puck off a few guys as well and turned the puck up ice. I didn't notice his skating to hinder him at all and I thought he was very involved in the game. He was at his best during the 5 on 5 portion and I'd expect him to have a very impressive rookie tournament. Was skeptical of him leading up to the draft but I'm excited about the pick.
Tkatchuk looked strong in the first half making plays with Jankowski, Has the intelligence required to play with top talent know doubt, Controls the puck well and uses the space around him to his advantage.
I do not like his skating stride, very choppy and looks labored but he gets where he needs to be and in not too long of time. High hopes , expectations.
Eetu Tuulola - this is the guy who stole the show. His game was well documented. He was a force on the forecheck, made some good defensive plays, has an excellent shot and his penalty shot goal was incredibly slick. Looks like a steal for a 6th rounder. He does the offensive bodycheck very well and earns himself space to make plays.
already said my praises. Very impressed
Mason McDonald - he was so much better than last year. The goal over his shoulder was probably stoppable but he made a few excellent saves and unlike the WJC, I didn't worry about shots through traffic on him. He looked more confident and solid. I thought he was probably second or third out of the four goalies, but it was tight and he looked good.
Hard to see from my end but looked strong. Calm and collected.
Nick Schneider - I was impressed by his play. It was tougher to see the quality of shots at his end from where I was so I can't comment too much. He looked great in the shootout and his glove is very quick. He looks like a legitimate prospect for sure. Has a very nice Glove hand. Impressed me as I did not give him much thought previously
Last edited by shotinthebacklund; 07-07-2016 at 02:15 PM.
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I know I've heard Hickey will go back to college, but I wonder if management might consider trying to convince him to sign and jump into the AHL? At this point he doesn't need to gain weight/strength, so the much heavier schedule might be a better route.
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k im just not going to respond to your #### anymore because i have better things to do like #### my model girlfriend rather then try to convince people like you of commonly held hockey knowledge.
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I know Andersson is getting a tough time for being out of shape but he was pretty damn good in the scrimmage anyway. He was in the right position most of the time and made good passes and decisions. The only time his lack of fitness showed was on the rush. If he ever gets in shape he will be a real force.
I'm transferring the files over to my computer now. I'll upload the shootout first because of the awesome Phillips goal, plus the two 4 min videos won't take long compared to the 30 min halves.
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I know Andersson is getting a tough time for being out of shape but he was pretty damn good in the scrimmage anyway. He was in the right position most of the time and made good passes and decisions. The only time his lack of fitness showed was on the rush. If he ever gets in shape he will be a real force.
That's the point- he's clearly got so much more to give but he's not giving it. So it's good for him to get ass smacked a bit in a development camp. Johnny Gaudreau needs people to get him the puck. Dougie Hamilton needs a partner. These are within the young man's grasp and he's not committing to the opportunity.
But this is a teachable moment. It can be one of those things he looks back on as the thing that turned his career around.
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He didnt dominate the Finnish Jr league last season and the WHL would be a significant step up from that. He will probably be an above average player in the WHL but I would be shocked if he "dominated" over a full season schedule.
I'm transferring the files over to my computer now. I'll upload the shootout first because of the awesome Phillips goal, plus the two 4 min videos won't take long compared to the 30 min halves.
Oh great, I was the loudest during the shootouts.
"Oh my goodness!"
"Phillips, holy wow!"
"AAAAH"
Ok, maybe those weren't exactly my quotes...
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