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Post by NWTHabsFan on Nov 6, 2017 10:45:07 GMT -5
Leading the NCAA in scoring I believe. Is he under contract by the Habs or is he the next NCAA player to wait until graduation and declare himself a free agent? There is always a chance he bolts. Mathias Brunet just posted a great article on an extensive interview he had with Timmins on Friday. At the bottom of the article they talk about Evans. It does sound like the team is in good contact with him and has let him know they are interested in him being part of their plans. The Habs did draft him out of Junior A hockey in Ontario in the 7th round, so they took a shot on him. He has been to all the development camps. We will know for sure when his NCAA season is over if he signs a PTO with Laval as that is usually a good signal as to what the longer term contract plans are. plus.lapresse.ca/screens/f4cc1e1d-67e9-409f-b546-e5f7d6adead3%7C_0.htmlThis is quite a good article. TT does fess up that he had Kreider over Leblanc. Me too but I knew they would pick Leblanc if he was available as it made so much sense from a PR perspective given they were hosting the draft and also since LL was picked to go right around where the Habs were picking. Interesting to note they would have picked Carlson with the pick that they traded to the Flames for Tanguay. I liked Carlson in his draft year and since, even if he burned Team Canada in the juniors in 2010!! |
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Nov 8, 2017 18:31:58 GMT -5
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Post by seventeen on Nov 8, 2017 23:24:58 GMT -5
Story about Michael Pezzetta and his new found discipline, from the Sudbury Star www.thesudburystar.com/2017/11/08/pezzetta-finding-his-touchWolves captain, Habs prospect on pace for career year
Michael Pezzetta still has the size and strength to make opponents aware when he's on the ice, but these days, the Sudbury Wolves forward is just as likely to make the highlight reel for a great goal as he is for a heavy hit.
That's no accident. While he still loves laying the body, the 19-year-old Toronto native has made a point of picking his spots this season. After serving 16 games' worth of suspensions last year, he figures it's better for both him and his team if he's playing on the ice, instead of sitting in the stands.
"A lot of those hits where your mouth is watering and the guy's not expecting you to come hit him, a hit that maybe Don Cherry would call a nice, clean hockey hit and put on Rock 'Em Sock 'Em, something that gets you really excited, you kind of have to lay off on it now," Pezzetta said. "You have to just make contact to get the guy off the puck, instead of trying to crush that guy through the glass or in open ice like that, because you don't know what's going to happen or how he's going to take it, and I can't afford to be suspended like I was last year."
The Wolves have certainly been glad to have Pezzetta as an option these last few weeks. With high-quality forwards such as Macauley Carson and David Levin injured and rookie Blake Murray heading to U17s, Pezzetta was moved to Sudbury's top line alongside Troy Lajeunesse and Dmitry Sokolov and immediately found good chemistry.
Pezzetta had a goal and two assists in a 6-5 win over the Niagara IceDogs last Friday, then two goals in a 4-3 loss to the Mississauga Steelheads on Saturday. Two tip-ins against the Steelheads gave him 10 goals on the season, matching his career high, and 20 points, only eight shy of his best single-season total.
Those numbers have been noted not only by Wolves fans, but also by pro scouts and commentators who wondered whether Pezzetta, the Montreal Canadiens' sixth-round pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, would ever produce like a big-league prospect.
"I'm pretty happy with how I'm playing," Pezzetta said. "Every night, I'm going out there and I'm working hard and obviously, it has been going well for me on the score sheet, but I think my play with the puck and away from the puck has just been a lot better this year and I'm a lot more composed."
He showed some restraint, for example, after Soo Greyhounds defenceman Conor Timmins went knee-on-knee with Lajeunesse last week in a potentially dangerous play.
"I wanted to beat him up after he kneed him," Pezzetta said. "But I just kept my composure, because I knew we had a five-minute power play coming up."
Sokolov's power-play goal a few moments later showed the wisdom of Pezzetta's decision. Lajeunesse, thankfully no worse for wear, assisted on the play.
"I've just got my mind set right this year," Pezzetta said. "I think I understand now how the league is. I'm older and I'm a lot stronger than I think I am sometimes and than some of the guys in the league, so it's just understanding that I can't play that wild, crazy game at this level. It just doesn't fit in, so I have to pick the times when I can really unleash my power and make big hits and stuff like that. It's having the discipline to pick the right times to do that and understand when you have to lay off a hit, because it's just not worth it. It's better when I'm in the lineup."
Sudbury head coach Cory Stillman, no doubt impressed with Pezzetta's start, named the 6-foot-1, 208-pounder as the 45th captain in team history late last month.
"It feels pretty good," Pezzetta said. "It's something I have worked at for four years and like I have said in the past, the way I am on the ice and the way I am in the community and as a person, that's just my attitude and my mind set, so there's nothing different in that sense, but it feels good to be given the responsibility to lead the Sudbury Wolves on the ice and in the community. I think I have done a pretty good job so far."
He was happy to earn respect not just from teammates, but from Stillman and associate coach Jordan Smith, both newcomers to Sudbury, as well as assistant Darryl Moxam.
"That carries over onto the ice," Pezzetta said. "This game is all about confidence and when you have confidence, you're able to get your legs going and things just seem to be working for you."
He hopes that trend continues this Friday, when the Wolves host the Barrie Colts in a 7:05 p.m. start.
Carson returns
Carson, out since the first week of the season with a broken wrist, had his cast removed Wednesday and took a full practice alongside rookies Nolan Hutcheson, Blake McConville and Levi Siau.
Carson hopes to return to OHL action this weekend, then join Team OHL for the CIBC Canada Russia Series game in Sudbury next Monday.
Sokolov was absent Wednesday, having joined his countrymen for the Canada Russia Series. Dawson Baker practised alongside Lajeunesse and Pezzetta.
Winger Darian Pilon was back to full practices this week, after missing three games with an upper-body injury. He skated Wednesday on a line with his brother Drake and Owen Gilhula.
New affiliates
The Wolves announced Wednesday they had affiliated with the NOJHL's Rayside-Balfour Canadians and French River Rapids for 2017-18.
Sudbury had already made good use of callups including forwards Evan Krassey and Noah Serre and defenceman Zach Snow from Rayside, and also signed forward Siau after his strong start in French River, but had not formalized the relationship before this week.
bleeson@postmedia.com
Twitter: @ben_leeson |
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Post by GNick99 on Nov 9, 2017 5:49:55 GMT -5
STS be playing DU. Good chance to compare Poehling to Borgstram. He is having great year also. Going to be a very interesting series.
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Post by seventeen on Nov 10, 2017 23:46:24 GMT -5
Not so good for Mr Poehling against Denver. 4-2 loss and he was -2. Happens.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Nov 11, 2017 9:21:37 GMT -5
Not so good for Mr Poehling against Denver. 4-2 loss and he was -2. Happens. Two of the top teams in the country going head to head. Good test for both, as they will have to go through each other to win their conference. I expect both programs will be enjoying long seasons this year. Evans had an assist last night. Primeau gave up one goal on 34 shots in a big 6-1 win over BU. Walford and Bitten both had two assists in their games. Lots of talk about Bitten’s chances to crack that World Junior lineup. If he gets the nod, it will be for his versatility and his 200 foot game. The Team Canada brass always seem to like a few players of that ilk on the team. It still will be a tough battle to make the final cut. |
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Nov 12, 2017 16:22:12 GMT -5
St Cloud State took over top ranking from Denver heading into this weekend, but Denver will get it back after a big sweep. 5-1 last night with Ryan getting shut out.
Notre Dame won 1-0, but Evans did not get a point on the game’s only goal.
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Post by seventeen on Nov 13, 2017 17:09:14 GMT -5
Looks like Cale is going to a better team.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Nov 13, 2017 18:57:21 GMT -5
Wondered if he would get traded. Much greater chance of playoff hockey now.
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Post by GNick99 on Nov 14, 2017 8:45:30 GMT -5
Looks like Cale is going to a better team. Be good experience for him as will be in Memorial Cup. I tabbed him as high skill but limited hockey sense. Going to be a interesting to see how this plays out. I imagine he will turn pro next year as late birthday. |
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Nov 18, 2017 9:36:05 GMT -5
Two point nights for Poehling and Evans. Poehling sure moves well and has great vision. He now has 12 points already, one shy of his entire freshman season last year.
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Post by GNick99 on Nov 19, 2017 5:59:25 GMT -5
Hope we can sign Evans?
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Nov 19, 2017 10:33:41 GMT -5
Agreed. The Habs brass hope so too. I expect when his season is over, the big sign will be if they can get him on a PTO for the rest of the AHL year. He can always pull a Vesey (and others) and bolt after August 15th. Apparently both sides stay in good contact and he has been at all his development camps, and has to pay his own way to follow strict NCAA rules. We shall see. |
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Nov 19, 2017 10:35:44 GMT -5
This Poehling guy seems to be okay in the offensive zone on the PP. Nice vision and passing. He has really amped up the offensive part of his game this year, and that was the biggest knock from many scouts leading up to the draft. He did get an assist last night as did Evans.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Nov 19, 2017 10:41:17 GMT -5
Great game by Will Bitten last night. He had one goal and two assists. He has really dominated games lately on the advanced stats front. Hopefully he can have more of these between now and Team Canada final cuts to improve his chances of making the junior team.
And to show you that he is not just a perimeter undersized guy. This is a solid hit.
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Post by GNick99 on Nov 21, 2017 7:42:42 GMT -5
Agreed. The Habs brass hope so too. I expect when his season is over, the big sign will be if they can get him on a PTO for the rest of the AHL year. He can always pull a Vesey (and others) and bolt after August 15th. Apparently both sides stay in good contact and he has been at all his development camps, and has to pay his own way to follow strict NCAA rules. We shall see. Welll...be some incentive for him to sign here...Habs weak at center and faceoffs both |
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Post by blny on Nov 21, 2017 9:46:00 GMT -5
Evans is sorta carrying the club on his back this year. I've read some pieces that thought he'd take a step back offensively because of the loss of some key contributors.
Both players seem to be good at both ends of the ice, skate well, and work well from the middle.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Nov 23, 2017 8:13:24 GMT -5
Two of our WHL defenders went head to head last night, as Fleury and Tyszka faced off. The Thunderbirds ended up winning 6-3 over the Pats, but both guys found the scoresheet and had one goal and one assist nights. Interesting as that was Fleury’s 7th goal of the season already.
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Post by seventeen on Nov 23, 2017 14:17:54 GMT -5
Tyszka seems to be developing into a bit of a surprise. I saw one clip of him where he carried the puck in from the right D position (he's a lefty) went into the corner, came out in front and stuffed it past the goalie. It was impressive. He now has 2 goals and 12 assists in 20 games. Is -9 however. Need I mention he was a fifth round pick? There's that 5th round again...Timmins' sweet spot.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Nov 23, 2017 15:19:27 GMT -5
Tyszka seems to be developing into a bit of a surprise. I saw one clip of him where he carried the puck in from the right D position (he's a lefty) went into the corner, came out in front and stuffed it past the goalie. It was impressive. He now has 2 goals and 12 assists in 20 games. Is -9 however. Need I mention he was a fifth round pick? There's that 5th round again...Timmins' sweet spot. All the reports point to him still having to work on rounding out his defensive game, and getting a more efficient skating stride. He is still mobile though, as you can see watching him or seeing his highlights. I went to the Thunderbirds game early this month and hoped to see Tyszka play live, but he missed that one game due to injury (he had played the night before in Red Deer and played the following game). Rats. I was also planning on going to see Fleury live tomorrow night when Kootenay visits for the first of three times this season. Alas, he was traded and I have to wait until early March for Regina's last/next visit of the season. Good news is Brook has started skating and Moose Jaw is here in early December, so I am keeping my fingers crossed he is healthy and playing again by that point. Not the start to the season he was hoping for, as he likely could have been an invite to the earlier WJC camp if he was healthy. I did catch Walford at the beginning of the season with Victoria's only visit here this year. Watching our prospects on TV is fun, but you see so much more of their complete game when you watch live. |
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Nov 23, 2017 15:31:28 GMT -5
Speaking of prospects on TV, here are some CHL games on Sportsnet that feature our prospects:
Saturday, Dec. 30, CHL Saturday Showcase: Moose Jaw @ Brandon, 3:30 p.m. ET / 12:30 p.m. PT (Sportsnet) Brook
Saturday, Jan. 27, CHL Saturday Showcase: Regina @ Swift Current, 3:30 p.m. ET / 12:30 p.m. PT (Sportsnet) Fleury
Sunday, Feb. 18, Moose Jaw @ Regina, 3 p.m. ET / Noon PT (Sportsnet East, Ontario, Pacific & Sportsnet 360) Brook and Fleury
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Nov 23, 2017 15:38:44 GMT -5
Some NCAA coverage this weekend of a couple of our prospects.
Friday, November 24, 2:00 pm ET Providence (Hawkey) at Maine on TSN2
Friday, November 24, 7:30 pm ET Minnesota at Notre Dame (Evans) on TSN GO (you need to download the app and have credentials from your cable subscriber)
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Post by blny on Nov 23, 2017 15:46:03 GMT -5
Can't remember the last time I saw a Maine Blackbears game. Living in NS, when we had the US channels out of Maine we used to get regular games. Saw a fair bit of Kariya. Man that was an exciting team.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Nov 25, 2017 11:09:48 GMT -5
Great game for Will Bitten last night. One goal and four assists. He now has 9 points in his last three games.
Hey, Team Canada scouts, hope you are watching!
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Post by seventeen on Nov 25, 2017 12:55:52 GMT -5
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Nov 26, 2017 1:25:04 GMT -5
Evans with a goal and two assists. He was held of the scoresheet last night, but they won 1-0 so not a biggie.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Nov 26, 2017 10:14:14 GMT -5
Here are the highlights of Evans’ night last night. That first assist is a sweet pass.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Nov 28, 2017 16:23:57 GMT -5
This would be great exposure for Evans. Fucale sure made the most of his experience last year.
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Post by blny on Nov 28, 2017 18:52:10 GMT -5
Great news for Evans.
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Post by seventeen on Nov 28, 2017 18:55:43 GMT -5
Even more reason to watch the Spengler cup. I paid more attention a couple of years ago when Fucale was on the team.
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