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Post by Andrew on Dec 30, 2003 19:32:11 GMT -5
No score yet.
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Post by Yeti on Dec 30, 2003 19:55:52 GMT -5
Ah! Apparently Balej just scored, his fifth in less than 4 periods of play.
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Post by FormerLurker on Dec 30, 2003 20:07:08 GMT -5
Ah! Apparently Balej just scored, his fifth in less than 4 periods of play. And, he has scored the Dogs' last five goals! This guy is gonna be AHL player of the month, and get a callup in January. |
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Dec 30, 2003 22:51:37 GMT -5
Roadrunners win 3-1. Good goaltending and good team defence shut the Dogs down very effectively. Toronto seems to have the Dogs' number this season, as this is their 4th win in 6 tries. Also, the Dogs seem to have no luck on TV. Hopefully that changes as these two teams are back on Sportsnet again on Sunday afternoon.
BTW, great goal by Balej. He and Pleks looked really good out there tonight.
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Post by BadCompany on Dec 31, 2003 10:16:58 GMT -5
Call this the HabsRus BadCompany Hamilton Prospect TV Scouting Report. Or HRUBCHPTVSR for short.
General Disclaimer: The opinions expressed herein are the opinions of BadCompany and BadCompany alone. They do not necessarily reflect those of HabsRus, Bob Gainey, or any sane, rational, non-blind individual.
By far and away the two most talented players in Hamilton are Alexander Svitov and Ron Hainsey. Actually, they are kind of similar in on ice attitude, and presence. They just have so much confidence in their abilities at the AHL level, its amazing. Its like they know they are too good for the AHL, and feel like they can do whatever they want, when they want. They don’t give 100%, but you get the feeling – perhaps not grounded in truth – that they really feel they can do whatever they want in the AHL. I won’t talk too much about Svitov, as this is going to be ridiculously long anyways.
Hainsey: As I said, by far and away the most talented Hab prospect in Hamilton. And that’s saying a lot. AHL Ron Hainsey is so much different from NHL Ron Hainsey, its not even funny. He’s so calm, and poised. He carries the puck with authority, he holds onto it in his own zone, waiting for a play to develop (as opposed to just dumping it off the glass), he quarterbacks (actually quarterbacks) the power-play. Defensively, he plays the body well – he isn’t a smasher, or even a hitter, but he uses his body to get in the way. Hainsey’s big problem in the AHL, and perhaps one that earns him a Hollywood reputation amongst Hamilton fans, is he thinks he is too good (and, perhaps he is). At times he gets too cute, and seems genuinely surprised that somebody at the AHL level could read what he was trying to do and could stop him. He had a couple of turnovers where he was trying to make a fancy pass, and it was intercepted. Like on one play, where he tried a little flip, backhanded pass behind his own net, off the net, around the player chasing him, and back to himself. Or at least, that’s what it looked like he was trying to do. He didn’t quite get the angle right, and the pass was intercepted, deep in his own zone. Full marks for creativity, if you want to look on the positive side. I thought he was the best defenseman for Hamilton. Should be the first call up, if a defenseman is needed.
Dykhuis: Dykhuis, surprisingly, seemed to be a real leader on the ice. A take charge, no-nonsense kind of guy, the veteran leader they need down there. I’m sure he wants to get back to the NHL, but to his credit he doesn’t appear to be sulking, or pouting. He is really embracing his role as a mentor. I would actually re-sign him, to play as a player-coach type kind of guy.
Beauchemin: He is what he is, and that is what we saw last year. He plays an ultra-safe game, doesn’t pinch much, backs up, banks it off the glass. Safe, predictable, boring. Rick Green must love this guy. In my opinion though, “safe, predictable, and boring,” means “low upside.”
Traverse: Just mailing it in. He looked brutal at the AHL level. Buh-bye.
Balej: Second-best Hamilton forward, after Svitov, in my opinion. But a one-trick pony. He has great speed, with nice, quick strides, and a laser of a shot, but that’s about it. He ain’t so great defensively, has no physical to play to speak of, and isn’t all that much of a playmaker either. But he has a pure goal-scorers mentality. He’s a much, much, faster Pierre Dagenais. I think he should be the next call-up.
Plekanec: Tough to get a read on Plekanec. He’s a great fore-checker, and his tenacity and determination caused a turnover in the offensive zone, and he pulled a neat little inside/outside move to get a good scoring chance, but as the game wore on I thought he became less of a factor. He is one of Hamilton’s main penalty killers. He clearly has very good skills, and loads of desire and grit, but I’m not sure what the future holds for him. Were he a little bit bigger, I would say he would be a great 3rd line center, able to match up defensively against the best and kill penalties, while providing aggressive offensive on the forecheck. But he isn’t bigger, and in the East, that could make all the difference. Can he be a Brad Richards type second line center? A poor-man’s Saku Koivu? Or, like many a Hab prospect it seems, would he be better off on the wing, in a Martin St. Louis type role? Personally, I think he should be on the wing. He’d look great in Andreas Dackell’s spot (and I don’t mind Dackell).
Perezhoghin: Speaking of a poor man’s Saku Koivu… Just without the grit and determination. Perezhoghin is possibly the second best puck-handler on the team, after Svitov. Very good stick-handler. Also has great first-step acceleration, but didn’t seem to display great overall speed. Good, but not Balej-like. Has a very quick release on his shot, but its not a very hard shot. Plays on the perimeter. He’s close, and the talent is there, but not just yet.
Higgins: Lots of determination, also killed penalties. Played on the wing with Plekanec, and frankly, I see what Andre Savard meant by “not that creative.” Sorry montreal, Higgins just isn’t that good a passer. He misses a lot, they are not tape-to-tape, they tend to bounce, and they are soft. But he has a very quick shot (hit the crossbar) skates well, and gets dirty. A mucker who can score, a real Kris Draper/Kirk Maltby type. I like him.
Dwyer: Dwyer, like Dykhuis, seems to be a leader on a young Hamilton team. He killed penalties last night (yes, yes he did), and I think he was even playing center. I’d re-sign him too, with the full understanding he will never play in the NHL again.
Hossa: Sigh. Invisible for the first two periods, and I was looking for him. I was embarrassed for him. He came to life in the 3rd period, and showed a little spark, but otherwise an extremely lazy game. Somebody needs to get in his face.
Blouin: See Patrick Traverse. How Andre Savard thought this guy was the solution to anything, I’ll never know. Buh-bye.
Milroy: Very poor game. Didn’t get much ice time, and took two bad penalties when he did. Both penalties happened because he wasn’t moving his feet, and had to haul down an opposing player who was. The first, Milroy tripped a guy cutting across him, and the second, he reached out and hauled him down, as the guy blew past a standing-still Milroy.
Damphousse: Looked all right for the AHL. We could be in serious trouble though, if one of Garon or Theodore goes down for an extended period of time.
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Post by Yeti on Dec 31, 2003 11:37:13 GMT -5
Great job as always BC. Thanks. The Dogs were playing a third game in four nights. It has to be tough for players like Plekanec and Balej who are playing around 20 + minutes per game.
I simply don't understand the obsession of the french media over Bouillon (especially La Presse- Pierre Ladouceur has him as the second best Mtl D after Souray- no kidding- he gives week by week grades and Bouillon is coming out as our no 2 D). Bouillon has been less and less effective since the beginning of November with some brutal games along the way. He needs to go all out at 100% all the time to stay in the NHL and he just can't do it over a long season. Maybe no one can but I though Bouillon always looks good in the first 10 games and then it turns ugly. I think it would be the opposite with Hainsey- give him 10 games and he will then blossom...
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Post by DeportivoHabs on Dec 31, 2003 12:46:48 GMT -5
damphousse was horrible.
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Dec 31, 2003 12:57:17 GMT -5
I didn't see the whole game, but from what I did see they looked to be out of gas. As Yeti was saying, they've played a whack of games in short period of time. Call this the HabsRus BadCompany Hamilton Prospect TV Scouting Report. Or HRUBCHPTVSR for short. I thought he was the best defenseman for Hamilton. Should be the first call up, if a defenseman is needed. Nice to hear, BC. Gainey will surely promote this guy again. The question is when? Will it be due to injury, trade, or otherwise? Nice to here that he has supporters. His attitude has been positive ever since his demotion. Not that he particularly enjoyed being bumped out of a job mind you. But, the working environment is much more positive than what he's been used to the past few years. Granted he's relied upon for much, much more in Hamilton, but I think he would have found the environment in the Habs dressingroom this year to be a welcome change as well. I liken your comparisson of him to Noel Price. Check out Larry Robinson's reference to Price in "For the Defence" and you'll see what I mean. Balej: Second-best Hamilton forward, after Svitov, in my opinion. But a one-trick pony. He has great speed, with nice, quick strides, and a laser of a shot, but that’s about it. He ain’t so great defensively, has no physical to play to speak of, and isn’t all that much of a playmaker either. But he has a pure goal-scorers mentality. [/quote] Well, we need finishers that's for sure. Who was our last bonafide finisher? Mark Recchi? Again, I'm trying to compare your opinions to similarities I've seen here and there. Would Eric Himelfarb be a good comparisson? This guy is a real crowd-please in Kingston; an offensive dynamo inside the opposition blueline; literally all over the place with a stride on everyone. However, he may get you two or three points a game and still end up in the minus column. We need finishers though. I've been Dackell supporter all along, but I honestly feel his success has been largely due to his chemistry with Juneau. However, if it means establishing some chemistry with Bégin then heck, why not try Plekanec out? Ivon Lambert perhaps? Sorry, had to ... I dare say he wouldn't have let Saku go down like a bag of wet cement unchallenged. Hate to call him a punching bag of sorts, but he could certainly pass on his desire and loyalty to the cause to those youngsters who haven't picked up the concept yet. Is he deliberately dogging it so as to wind up in Ottawa in a roundabout sort of way? More and more we hear of different players doing the same thing. Just a thought. Thanks again. Cheers. |
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Post by BadCompany on Dec 31, 2003 13:32:16 GMT -5
Again, I'm trying to compare your opinions to similarities I've seen here and there. Would Eric Himelfarb be a good comparisson? This guy is a real crowd-please in Kingston; an offensive dynamo inside the opposition blueline; literally all over the place with a stride on everyone. However, he may get you two or three points a game and still end up in the minus column. We need finishers though. I've only seen Himelfarb play a couple of times (and not once this year), but Balej is much, much better than him. First of all, Balej is much, much bigger. Second of all, I seem to remember Himelfarb as being a more Petrov-like skater - a dancer, shifty, jumping all over the place, but not really with great break-away speed. Balej has break-away speed. He has nice, powerful strides, that just eat up ice. He'll beat you on the outside, if you give him half a step. And he can carry the puck at full speed too, something that is not always as easy as it sounds. A poor man's Pavel Bure, really (if, you know, Pavel Bure is Bill Gates, and Josef Balej is BadCompany). I was not a huge Balej supporter, and I still think he has a lot to prove, especially when the competition gets tough, but he's got very good skills. If he can translate those into the NHL, then he will be a very, very good player for us. Who doesn't need a fast winger who can score? |
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Post by BCHab on Dec 31, 2003 14:08:13 GMT -5
Good review BC. It seems we saw the same game...  I thought Plekanec and Balej had good games. I'm not ready to jump on the Balej bandwagon yet though. It's one thing to have good wheels, it's another to use those wheels in today's clutch and grab NHL with its faster, bigger defensemen. Like you, I was surprised and disappointed by Hossa. Terrible game. It really looks as if he's lost interest. I'm also beginning to wonder if he wants to be elsewhere. Something is not right... Milroy and Damphousse were disappointing. It was my first time seeing Milroy play and he's not what I expected. I expected someone with a nose for the net. Instead, he seemed utterly lost. Svitov...what a talented player! What's he doing in the minors? Cheers, |
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