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Post by NWTHabsFan on Aug 9, 2022 14:41:57 GMT -5
Watching a bit of Czechia and Slovakia. Why is the crowd do small? Is it because it's a summer afternoon? Crazy how small it is. I guess a noon Tuesday start on an August summer day with non-North American teams is not a big sell. |
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Aug 9, 2022 14:44:17 GMT -5
Myšák has had a very strong two periods so far. He is on the top line with Julich and Gut. He plays wing but also takes faceoffs on his strong side. He plays on the top PP and PK units.
He has had some nice chances and has been all over the puck. A great rush to lead to the second Czechia goal. Not sure who will get final credit for it, but the hard work was done by Myšák. #19 red.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Aug 9, 2022 14:57:36 GMT -5
Some updates from Europe as some pre season games have started in a number of the main leagues (crazy huh?). Three prospects have seen some action so far.
Heineman scored the third goal today for Leksands in their 3-1 win. He is with his SHL team until he comes over for Habs camp (rookie and main camps I would expect).
Kostenko has seen two games with Spartak (KHL) so far on the third pairing. He played mainly in the VHL with Khimik last season.
Gordin had an assist in Rostov’s only pre season game so far. That is Sochi’s VHL affiliate. Gordin played mainly in the MHL (junior) league last year, with a few KHL games too.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Aug 9, 2022 15:17:06 GMT -5
And the captain makes it 4-2. Final score CZE 5 SVK 4 in regulation. Myšák with 1 g 1 a.
Another angle.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Aug 10, 2022 9:47:31 GMT -5
A nice piece from the Hockey News on Roy’s second chance to make Team Canada at the WJC.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Aug 10, 2022 9:49:42 GMT -5
Prospects in action at the WJC today:
Canada (Roy #9, Kidney #11) vs Latvia 4:00pm MT (6:00pm ET) TSN
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Aug 10, 2022 10:12:47 GMT -5
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Aug 10, 2022 14:16:09 GMT -5
A first glimpse at European man of mystery, Engström, in preseason J20 action. Well, first glimpse post development camp. 😉
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Aug 10, 2022 20:30:02 GMT -5
Roy with his PP primary assist today against Latvia.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Aug 10, 2022 20:32:44 GMT -5
Kidney did not play much as the thirteenth forward, but his last shift late in the third (with Roy on one wing) was a noticeable and good shift. He definitely showed that he belongs.
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Post by folatre on Aug 10, 2022 21:43:58 GMT -5
Thanks for the updates, NW. I hope the European man of mystery is truly an underappreciated late riser because I tend to think he was a reach at the back end of the third round, particularly when kids like Jordan Dumais, Isaiah George, and Langlois were there for the taking.
Roy's last 12-13 months are nothing short of remarkable. A kid with a ton of offensive skill ate some humble pie, dedicated himself to approaching hockey like a professional, and then suddenly takes the Q by storm while landing a significant role with Canada.
I always liked Mysak and was pleased Montreal drafted him. And the more I learn about this kid, the more I like him. He is such a hard worker and student of the game. I had been wondering if Mysak would be better suited to wing in the season leading up to the draft. However now I have come around to the idea that he is going to be an effective bottom six centre in the NHL.
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Post by seventeen on Aug 10, 2022 23:08:49 GMT -5
I really like Kidney's willingness to play a physical game. On a rare 1st period shift he was right in the dirty area in front of the blue paint, waiting to deflect a point shot. I kept wondering what Desnoyer's role was that he had beaten out Kidney. Cameron has really gone for age on this team. Desnoyers is a full 14 months older than Kidney.
Two comments about Cossa, our goalie. 1) Man, he's big. 6'6" 215 lbs. and 2) Man, he makes me nervous. I don't like his style. He seems to not be in control at times. His size alone helps him make saves, but I never felt confident every time Latvia took a shot. His rebound control is also not up to snuff. The two guys who played goal for the U18 Canada team, OTOH, both looked really good, calm and confident. I'd have felt better with either of those guys. As NWT says, it's quite possible Garand goes the rest of the way. Maybe Cossa got in his game against a weak team just to be able to have played in one.
Rpoy didn't do anything flashy, but I like his game. He's not in a rush, he plays within himself and wins more than his share of battles for the puck. Seems to have a good stick and has good stability with his body. Quick release, too. There's not much chemistry with McTavish and Berard, though.
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Post by franko on Aug 10, 2022 23:34:25 GMT -5
Cossa was even scarier in person. Monte Jr, I tell you. I thought he looked behind him every other shot.
This team will come out of this round with one win if they keep playing like they did today. It was brutal. Couldn't hit the net with shots, pucks bouncing out of control; if Latvia had a half-decent team . . . Well, I dunt want to think about it. Outshot 17-3 and the score 1-1 after 1, and they outshot the Canadian team 15-14 in the 3rd.
Gonna be interesting when they play a "real" team.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Aug 11, 2022 7:33:43 GMT -5
All five prospects in action at the WJC today:
Finland (Kapanen #27, Nurmi #15) vs Czechia (Myšák #19) Noon MT (2:00pm ET) TSN3/4
Canada (Roy #9, Kidney #11) vs Slovakia 4:00pm MT (6:00pm ET) TSN3/4
Yes, I will be at the Canada game again today. I hear Bedard vs Dvorsky might be fun to watch 😉
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Aug 11, 2022 13:33:24 GMT -5
Myšák scored one on the PP, but the ref had whistled the play dead. He then won the faceoff clean and Kulich buries it. 2-0 Czechia in the first.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Aug 11, 2022 14:47:51 GMT -5
Hockey Slovakia had their awards night today. Slafkovsky cleaned up with player of the year (youngest ever winner), forward of the year, and U20 player of the year. He heads to Montreal next week to shift his training this side of the pond.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Aug 11, 2022 15:24:30 GMT -5
Myšák ties it at three in the third. A little bank shot.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Aug 11, 2022 20:53:21 GMT -5
Roy with a 1+3 game. In the middle of the second, they moved Othmann up and Roy off the top line (he did get a couple of shifts with McT and Bedard, but mainly on the third line afterwards).
Point #2 to set up McT’s Hattie. Very unselfish.
Et le but.
And third assist.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Aug 12, 2022 10:03:31 GMT -5
In addition to his two point game, Myšák also scored in the shootout as well. In the end, Finland prevailed and won in the shootout on what was the best game of the tournament so far (the opening game between Czechia and Slovakia was a close second).
Myšák has been very good so far. Three goals and an assist in their first two games, along with a disallowed goal (the whistle blew quickly) and his shootout goal (does not count in the points), and he is playing key moments on their top line and on the PP and PK. Definitely the guy who drives the Czechia team so far, so a very good choice as captain. This is so nice to see after Hamilton essentially had moved him to a shut down role on the third line later in the season and throughout the playoffs, so there were questions about his offensive abilities and whether he could be a viable two way forward. He also missed development camp in order to be ready for Czechia’s WJC summer camp, so he did not get to play alongside all the other Habs prospects and shiny new toys. I was worried about his heavy feet in the past, but his skating has definitely improved.
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Post by folatre on Aug 12, 2022 10:14:41 GMT -5
NW, I know that massively lopsided games makes player evaluation more difficult, but I am curious about your impressions of Dvorsky.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Aug 12, 2022 10:34:50 GMT -5
NW, I know that massively lopsided games makes player evaluation more difficult, but I am curious about your impressions of Dvorsky. Last night’s game was not a great game to get a read on him for sure. He plays down the lineup, so does not get a ton of ice time and played in a blowout, so he was overmatched on most of his shifts. The opener against Czechia was a close game, but again he is being used fairly sparingly by his coaches, which is not surprising for a 17 year old in the U20 event (even more so this year with many returnees already turned 20 due to the weird timing and modified eligibility). You can see that the talent is there, but not just yet at the level where he can really exploit it against the older and more mature competitors. I don’t see that diminishing my views on him, as this is not unique to him in terms of how draft eligible players look as multi year underagers at the WJC. You just have to go back and watch his games at the U18 or last summer’s Hlinka Gretzky to see him shine, even against kids one year older than him. And yes Bedard has looked great for Canada at the same age, but I will gladly declare that this is just proof positive that Bedard is the best 17 year old on the planet right now. As an aside, Michkov looked as good too in December for the Russian WJC. They really are special talents. Back to Dvorsky, I do hope they give him some ice time with top notch linemates, even for part of a game, just to see what he can do. In the end, I will still have him in my top five or so heading into this new season. Slovakian Hockey made the choice to give him the experience at the WJC to learn to play against tougher competition rather than having him play in the Hlinka Gretzky last week and be “the man” for Slovakia there. They are playing a long game with his development in mind, and it will likely prepare him to be a very dominant player at this event in the future. Now just imagine if he can be joined in December by some of his fellow young stars like Slafkovsky, Nemec, and Mešár.  |
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Aug 12, 2022 10:51:23 GMT -5
Given today is a day off for all five prospects at the WJC, here are some thoughts on Roy’s two games so far. It is nice to see him with five points in two games. I was excited to see him line up in the pre tourney game on the top line with McTavish and Bedard. Same thing with the first two games of the WJC, although they moved Othmann up to that line for most of the second half of last night’s game. You might be surprised that I actually like the idea of moving him off that line. What, you may ask? Not have him play with the best player in the event and best 17 year old on the planet? Yes, and to me it is about best fit and line architecture.
McTavish and Bedard both love to have the puck on their stick. All the time if they have their way. They drive the play and McTavish may be the best at puck possession and protection in this event. They also look for each other when they don’t get a good shooting opportunity (and they both drive inside to open up shooting opportunities as much as they can). All good attributes, but where does that leave the third wheel on their line? That winger is best suited to be able to go dig the puck out of corners for them, or go to the net to screen or be there for rebounds from the high level of shots both those guys generate. My sense is that is not a particularly good role to exploit the best parts of Roy’s high hockey IQ and play making game. Put Roy on a line with Dufour (a slow skater but heavy great shooter) and Ostapchuk (a heavy grinder forward), and Roy can revert to being more of the play driver and set up guys on his line. Those three actually complement each other a bit better.
So, we shall see where he lines up in game three tomorrow. If it is not on the top line any more, I for one, will not see that as a bad thing.
One last thing, Roy really needs to improve his skating. It is likely a need for a combo of more strength and technique adjustment. It will be something to watch as he will need to get quicker to move to the next level.
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Post by folatre on Aug 12, 2022 11:47:29 GMT -5
Hopefully Montreal's new emphasis pouring resources into skill development will help a kid like Roy with his skating. Using a current Hab as a reference point, I watched (two or three times in person and various times on television) Jake Evans at Notre Dame and I was not impressed by his skating. In fact, I thought it was the going to be the main impediment to him carving out an NHL career. To Evan's credit (I am not sure Montreal under the Bergevin regime had much to do with it), he improved a great deal and now I would classify him as an NHLer with average/above average speed.
Back to Dvorsky, you are absolutely right that it is not easy being 17 year old on a bad team at the WJC. I really like his blend of offensive skill, mobility, and defensive commitment. Bedard will be the first overall and Michkov is seemingly the second best talent in this class, but really the entire top ten could yield NHL stars.
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Post by seventeen on Aug 12, 2022 14:20:46 GMT -5
Roy with a 1+3 game. In the middle of the second, they moved Othmann up and Roy off the top line (he did get a couple of shifts with McT and Bedard, but mainly on the third line afterwards). Yeah, it looked to me like there wasn't good chemistry on that line, even though Roy was making enough good plays. He may do better on another line. Still kinda hoping Kidney gets more ice time. |
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Post by Cranky on Aug 12, 2022 14:30:36 GMT -5
Blowouts tell you from nothing to almost nothing about a player abilities other then what you already know.
Bedard did this or that is meaningless if he's doing it against toy soldiers.
Bedard beat Guhle one on one through a game, or three games, now you have something.
Back when i pretended to be a pro scout, my first comment was what the game was like. If it was a blowout, then it was a waste of $13.
In tight games, win or lose, you can see Dagenais ice graze, Pleky hidden Koivu, Komi cluelessness get beaten like a mule..etc. Do it over three games in a few month and observations becomes more solidified.
That is why I'm concerned about tournament risers. Kk was the darling of the quick rise and..nowhere fast. Slaf concerns me too but the Hopium in me is strong.
To ME, these tournaments are like pop quiz in high school. It will give a glimpse but not a trend. And far from solid scouting report.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Aug 12, 2022 16:28:51 GMT -5
Cranky You are right about tournaments and blowouts. I always take context into account when evaluating a player’s performance as evidenced by how hard it is for me to judge a 17 year old that gets limited ice time on a weaker squad. As for Bedard, I have been lucky enough this past season to see him live against the Oil Kings a few times, which basically translated to the big brute (Guhle) jumping over the boards every time he was on the ice. It was an awesome matchup to see. I also saw Bedard in December against the Russian WJC live and that was a phenomenal game for him against a very tough opponent. Add the tons of IIHF U18 games April 2021 and WHL league games on tv as a very underage player, and I have a pretty comfortable base on which to assess him. Everybody can look good or bad in one game, or in a short tourney. You need to see them over time to see if there has been visible development and growth in their game to help with the projection. Tomorrow I get too see Myšák vs Roy live. That should be fun!
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Post by Cranky on Aug 12, 2022 17:41:45 GMT -5
Cranky You are right about tournaments and blowouts. I always take context into account when evaluating a player’s performance as evidenced by how hard it is for me to judge a 17 year old that gets limited ice time on a weaker squad. As for Bedard, I have been lucky enough this past season to see him live against the Oil Kings a few times, which basically translated to the big brute (Guhle) jumping over the boards every time he was on the ice. It was an awesome matchup to see. I also saw Bedard in December against the Russian WJC live and that was a phenomenal game for him against a very tough opponent. Add the tons of IIHF U18 games April 2021 and WHL league games on tv as a very underage player, and I have a pretty comfortable base on which to assess him. Everybody can look good or bad in one game, or in a short tourney. You need to see them over time to see if there has been visible development and growth in their game to help with the projection. Tomorrow I get too see Myšák vs Roy live. That should be fun! We fully agree on tourneys and blowouts. Bedard was an example, not a direct comment on his abilities. I'm still old fashion about being present to really scout players. Video is great if one has all kinds of camerss but one still can't pick up the reaction of the player or the coach or on ice details. When Julien looked over at Komi after he took himself out of position, it wasn't a pretty sight. Julien expression was of fustration, Komi reaction was of defeatism. A whole lot could be read and surmised from that. Something that no camera can catch. But...better to have video then nothing. You should of been around when Hamilton bulldogs were local in the early 2000s. Between us it could of been interesting "amateur" scouting reports worthy of pros. |
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Post by Skilly on Aug 13, 2022 7:29:12 GMT -5
Hockey Slovakia had their awards night today. Slafkovsky cleaned up with player of the year (youngest ever winner), forward of the year, and U20 player of the year. He heads to Montreal next week to shift his training this side of the pond. They must be barren of players in Slovakia Juraj is good, but getting drafted #1 doesn't make you Player of the Year. His stats are really underwhelming, when you look at who he got his points against. His stats in Finland were worse than Kotkaniemi's. I'd like to know who was second and third in the voting / decision making process. |
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Post by Andrew on Aug 13, 2022 12:35:43 GMT -5
Hockey Slovakia had their awards night today. Slafkovsky cleaned up with player of the year (youngest ever winner), forward of the year, and U20 player of the year. He heads to Montreal next week to shift his training this side of the pond. They must be barren of players in Slovakia Juraj is good, but getting drafted #1 doesn't make you Player of the Year. He was tournament MVP and scoring leader, helping secure a first ever Olympic hockey medal for Slovakia. |
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Aug 13, 2022 13:06:18 GMT -5
Prospects in action today at the WJC:
Canada (Roy #9, Kidney #11) vs Czechia (Myšák #19) 4:00pm MT (6:00pm ET) TSN5
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