Dube - Looked slightly better than he did last year. Not a ton of improvement, but progress nonetheless.
Gawdin - Very solid player. If I had to bet on a walkon earning a contract, it would be him. A reliable guy that you can put in the bottom six in Stockton and see where he takes it.
Hawerchuk - Slow and otherwise unnoticeable.
Lomberg - Same uptempo game that earned him a contract in the first place. Could be a fun energy guy on the 4th line some day.
Malott - Big + Hands and some skill means that he piqued my interest. The best skill level of the walk ons today.
Mattson - Progressing well enough. Decent size and skill. Still a project to watch.
Poirier - On the ice, it was the best I have seen him. Even better though was off the ice. He seemed genuinely happy and in a good place. I hope that he is able to stay in that space and beat the demons he is dealing with. Good guy. Cheering for him.
Pollock - Do not see him getting re-signed.
Alex Smith - Did not stand out.
Tuulola - He was there. He did well enough. Not as dynamic as last season
Veronneau - Did not stand out.
Doetzal - Bottom pairing AHLer
Fox - Progression, but could be better overall. Improved, but not by as much as I was hoping.
Kylington - Pushing hard for a job in the NHL.
Ruopp - Not noticeable
Teves - Not noticeable
Valimaki - Great talent level overall on both sides of the game. Just raw. Needs to fill out a bit and is a bit skinny despite his weight.
Parsons - The potential to be at a level with Rask/Quick/Murray/Price etc. is there. Will he realize that potential is the question that remains.
Schneider - He's alright and did alright things. Was the least good of the 3 today.
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Lindstrom - High quality skill plays on a regular basis today. Nice to see.
Foo - Fast, but not overly so. About Poirier quick to compare players. Good skill, but doesn't seem ready to step into the NHL day one. Could use 30-40 AHL games or maybe a whole season. Still, there is skill there.
Mangiapane - Eat Bread was dishing the puck around effectively all day and was the second best forward from this group.
Phillips - Speaking of best forwards from this group.... He was the top one by far. He might be small, but he is fast and his hands are quicker than his feet. Beat Parsons regularly and was the only guy to do so in either group. If he can make the next steps, he could be a dangerous top 6 guy who is slippery like Jake Guentzel. Just have to wait and see if he can translate his lack of size up the ladder. He is bigger though which is good.
Rassell and Morrison - Not noticeable
Ruzicka - I didn't really see him do much out there, but was okay. Will look specifically for him tomorrow.
Hunter Smith - Double jaw protection with the beard and the face shield today. Looks about 15 years older than everyone else there. That's about it though. Did not have the best day. To be expected with the injury though.
Sveningsson - Made up name did not stand out.
Vidmar - Some flashes of some skill, but they were just flashes.
Andersson - like Kylington, pushing for an NHL spot. Feisty and motivated. Nice to see.
Healey - Did not blow kids up. Left disappointed. Actually was solid defensively overall.
Mackey, Reinke, Wolff - they were there
AOM - Didn't stand out.
McDonald - The best I have seen him play. I think there is an NHL caliber guy there. Is he likely going to be better than Parsons or Gillies, or Rittich for that matter, I am not sure. Where he plays this year will be a mystery that will take a while to be solved. He will probably need another 2-4 years in the minors to figure things out. Don't expect him to be in the NHL until 25-26 if he makes it. Could eventually become a starter somewhere, but several things would have to start coming together for him to do so.
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The best Parsons save was during the 3-on-3 drill, where he sprawled to make a save and was sitting on his butt with his legs in front of him, and then just threw his glove up above his head to rob somebody (Phillips?) on a wrister.
lol the Parsons train is growing faster than I thought, bought all of the Knights playoff games just to watch him and couldn't believe what I was watching. Kid is a highlight reel and a game changer. Fun times await.
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The list of high quality goalie prospects since being in Calgary have included
Mike Vernon
Trevor Kidd
...
Umm
Yeah.
brent krahn? Leeland Irving? both were drafted in the first round... cant just ignore them because they busted...
and I did have a polite chuckle at scorpion.. two pages back.. saying he two years younger then matthew phillips.. then saying one guy is the best goalie prospect hes ever seen... that was pretty adorable. Bit of a disconnect there ! Adding "best ever seen" doesnt carry much weight when your a teen.
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brent krahn? Leeland Irving? both were drafted in the first round... cant just ignore them because they busted...
and I did have a polite chuckle at scorpion.. two pages back.. saying he two years younger then matthew phillips.. then saying one guy is the best goalie prospect hes ever seen... that was pretty adorable. Bit of a disconnect there ! Adding "best ever seen" doesnt carry much weight when your a teen.
/that'sthejoke.gif
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I'd like to offer some contrary opinions on these two. I felt Hawerchuk showed good speed and creativity around the net - I often found myself taking note of his name after a nifty play.
On Pollock I'll agree in part - he seemed unmotivated during certain drills, but I was impressed at times with his hands around the net. He made some slick moves. The skill seems to be there, he just need to want it more IMO.
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Adding "best ever seen" doesnt carry much weight when your a teen.
