Prospect Info: 2012-2013 Hartford Wolf Pack/Greenville Road Warriors Thread (AHL, ECHL) *Part III*

[Osminator]

how about everyone chillax and let McI complete his FIRST pro season? lol

 

[Ola]

Here's a question for those who are watching Whale hockey: What's wrong with Klassen? I've been trying to figure out a flaw in his defensive game. Obviously he isn't going to go coast to coast, but in what sense is he not qualified to be a defense-first NHLer?

He used to move like he was skating on sand. Not anymore, he's very competent now. He takes the body perfectly. He uses his stick for defense very well. He's always in position.

Every time he gets on the ice, you know nothing will happen, you might as well fast forward the game. Not exciting? Well, sometimes you don't need the excitement that comes with Parlett or Vernace giving away the puck between the hash marks.

Why is Klassen worse than Sauer? (Besides the fact that he plays on the left where we are overloaded and has only an AHL contract.) I mean it, what am I not seeing that's keeping him in the AHL?

I like Klassen. He is more composed than McI in many situations.

One big diffrence we have seen if we compare the pre-lockout game to the post-lockout game is that mobility and lateral movement is valued in the game today. D's in general are composed in a diffrent way. We don't see many at all of those fire hydrant built 6'1 - 6'3 D's who are rock solid but of course has a tad of a heavy step (there were a ton of these guys in the NHL if we go back 10 years, (Daneykos, Pilons, Witts, Hills, Hannans, Mansons, Gauthiers, Diducks, Ragnarssons, Timmanders, Dykhius, Richardsssons, Norströms and co just to name a few that comes to mind). Guys that were really heavy and solid built but didn't have tremendous reach nor moved especially well. To be built like that was more or less the default.

Klassen isn't slow or anything like that. For a physically strong D, his skating is decent for sure. I mean he is youthful on the ice. Skates with energy. But, his skating isn't a strength. That's whats holding him back.

The reason McI was drafted 10th overall is definitely because he is unique in the sense that he is strong as a bull and can fight and hit and what not -- but he is also very athletic and got a good jump on the ice when he moves out there.

What exterminated those physical cubes of D's were really that you cannot recover in the game today. Its extremely important to stay on the right side of your forward all the time in your own end, and that's something I think Klassen could manage, but what is just as important is, when facing a rush, to be able to keep a gap between you and the forward that enables you to step up on the forward when he fires the puck and get a stick on it or atleast yourself in a great position to block it, or, to always have a bit of a head start if the forward trys to go Rick Nash on you and step around you. Its especially in the later situation a D like say Rick Pilon could give the forward a whack over the arms and then, even if he got past Pilon, like distrub him, with a hook or whatever, juuuusssst enough to prevent a goal from being scored. Now what you do instead is just keep a gap to a forward and back into the lap of your goalie if that is needed. If the forward tries to shoot, the D steps up on him and gets a stick on it or his body betweent eh shot and the net, and since the D backs down with some distance between himself and the forward, its extremely hard for a speedster like Gaborik for example to step around the D. This is what McD is great at, and what Klassen is just avg at. Its not Klassen's strength. And its probably the first thing a coach in teh NHL looks for in a D.

I am not saying that Klassen won't make it. I like him. But the battle he have to fight is to prove himself more useful than the slighter built better skating D's that he will have infront of him on the depth chart.

 

[Bardof425*]

how about everyone chillax and let McI complete his FIRST pro season? lol

We still hear the Tarasenko comparisons and I'm sure we will continue to hear them. What happened to all the Cam Fowler fans? He's a minus player this year on one of the best teams in the league after being -25 and -28 in his first two seasons. And what is more alarming is he only has two points in 12 games played. I assume he's had an injury or was he scratched? Either way, I'm liking the McI pick if we were going to go defense and Fowler was the other consideration. McI looks like he will be the stay at home, nasty, tough to play against defenseman that Ranger brass thought they were getting (and we need) when they selected at number 10.

 

[Beacon]

Ola,

That was an excellent, intelligent answer. Do you think Klassen can make the NHL and if so, when?

 

[Beacon]

FIRST PERIOD

Talbot starting again. 15 in the last 16 games.

Thomas with a good defensive play, but then overmatched as he tried to move up.

McIlrath with a good defensive play.

Kreider looking good by following what I was talking about before: using his speed and size in a north-south, dump-and-chase game.

Yogan again displaying good speed.

The Whale is terribly disoriented on defense, already allowing 2 on 1.

Jean would score a good bit if he shot harder and quicker.

Goal post against Talbot.

Mash - Ferriero - Thomas are a good looking line because all three are good along the boards and have decent speed.

McIlrath keeps making small, but smart plays.

Segal with a great pass to Noob, who should've shot from a few feet out, but decided to get cute and pass it to Kreider, who was tied up and didn't get the puck.

Penalty on Collins. Score. Kreider gave away the puck tried to stickhandle, which he should never do.

McIlrath makes a very effective use of his reach. Even when it looks like he might lose, he still makes the defensive play because his reach is longer.

Whale PP, but it's negated midway through by a Pyett penalty. Now Palm knocked down the goalie, resulting in another penalty, which will start 4 on 3 and end with 5 on 3 for 41 seconds. A couple of big save by Talbot.

Bad angle shot on Talbot on 5 on 4 and it went it. Talbot needs to stop with his occasional bad goals. Maybe he's just really tired after playing so much this year.

Another penalty on the Whale. Tripping on Mash. This might become a blowout if Port scores now. Penalty killed off.

Carroll got into a fight with a guy who's much bigger than him. Valabik is a beast at 6-foot-7 250 pounds, yet Carroll did a great job against him. It wasn't a knockout, but it was a win on points. What's more is that Valabik got a penalty on top of the fight.

Kreider gave away the puck, but used his speed to catch up, then used his size to nail the guy into the boards. Then he used his speed to go up the ice and make a good shot.

As I typed the above, Kreider scored yet another goal from a couple of feet in front of the net. See, I told you he'll be really effective if he uses his size to park in front of the net, where his hands are just beautiful. Pyett gave him a pass that looked like a shot. Noob with the other assist.

Good defensive play by Collins to break up a 2 on 1.

Yogan is really fast and really good at using his speed.

Big save by Talbot.

Double minor on Klassen after he messed up the puck along the boards and then was called for high sticking.

Parlett looks good.

Talbot gives away another weak goal, this one with less than a second to go. He's not playing well tonight. Should be pulled for Miss.

END OF THE FIRST.

 

[JCrusher*]

Kreider with another PP goal. I think its safe to say he has gotten the message. Hopefully he is back up this month

 

[Beacon]

Kreider with another PP goal. I think its safe to say he has gotten the message. Hopefully he is back up this month

No, he didn't get the message, he still tries to stickhandle where he shouldn't be doing it. Not doing it as much, but he needs to understand that his job should be to carry the puck only when his speed allows him to do so, then dump the puck and chase after it, pass it to a teammate and drive to the crease. That's his game, not stickhandling.

 

[Beacon]

The goal Simmonds just scored is almost identical to the goal Kreider scored, except the pass was from the other side and Kreider was a little closer.

 

[JCrusher*]

No, he didn't get the message, he still tries to stickhandle where he shouldn't be doing it. Not doing it as much, but he needs to understand that his job should be to carry the puck only when his speed allows him to do so, then dump the puck and chase after it, pass it to a teammate and drive to the crease. That's his game, not stickhandling.

Calm down dude.

 

[Beacon]

SECOND PERIOD

Mash and Ferriero on a 2 on 1, but Ferr never got his shot off.

As soon as Kreider drove to the net, he got a good opportunity to score.

Yogan caused a penalty with his speed.

Kreider scores yet another goal from a few feet out of the crease. This is where he belongs. He's absolutely deadly down there. Noob with a good pass after a good rush. Pyett with the other assist.

Wilson playing good hockey for what's expected of him. Good board work.

Another Whale PP. Hope they can even it out.

Noob needs to shoot more. Passes when he should be shooting.

The Jean line did a good job in the offensive zone, but Wilson took a penalty.

Mission playing well. It was clearly a mistake to start Talbot tonight because he was obviously tired.

A bit of a back and forth by both teams. Having Miss out there stabilized the team.

END OF TWO. 11 saves for Miss in the second period. Good job.

 

[Beacon]

THIRD PERIOD

Commentator 1: "Word has gotten around the league about the shot that Christian Thomas possess and that he needs to be paid attention to."

Commentator 2: "You see the kind of shot he possesses, it's very rare."


The Mission playing well.

Jean draws a penalty by using his speed to skate up the ice. CT almost scored on a rebound from a couple of feet away, but was unable to left up the puck. Should've been a goal there.

Kreider is so effective when he uses his size and speed to forecheck as the opponents are trying to get out of their zone. He leads to turnovers or at least minor trouble for the opponents more often than not.

Tripping against McIlrath.

Kreider really has no ability to move the puck around a defenseman, any defenseman.

Segal draws a penalty driving hard to the net on a McIlrath shot. Not a good looking PP.

CT hits the post on a lightning slap shop.

Pyett is a quality defenseman.

Kreider is playing good hockey all in all.

Can't get out of their own zone for a full minute with under 2 minutes to go.

SCORE! Tie it with 23 second to go. Oh baby!

Segal from Palm and Collins. Kreider screened the goalie on that goal. Deserves big credit for it. He's responsible for all 3 goals tonight.

END OF THREE

OVERTIME

Kreider almost scored because he drove to the net.

Mission looking really, really good.

The puck hopped up around the Port goalie, but didn't go in. It would've been a goal with 0.1 seconds to go.

END OF OVERTIME

SHOOTOUT (5 shots minimum, not 3 like in the NHL)

Noob shooting first. Skate save.

Port scores.

Thomas next. Pad save.

Port shoots wide.

Kreider next. Goes way right, but loses the puck as he's coming back.

Pad save by Mission, who read it well.

Now comes Segal. Scores on a backhand!

Port shot hits Mission, then the goal post.

Mash goes last for the Whale. Score on a wrister.

Port scores a beautiful goal.

Palm next in the extra rounds. Glove save.

Port scores.

I kind of figured we'll lose this one because Mission isn't good moving side to side, which is key to shootouts.

 

[Kwayry]

Segal tied the game at 3.

 

[Beacon]

PLAYERS OF THE GAME

1. Kreider: Looked very confident, skating with swagger. His best game this year in either the AHL or the NHL.

2. Mission: Saved the game for the Whale. 26 shots, no goals.

3. Segal: Game-tying goal with seconds to go and then scored a shootout goal. Very visible the whole game.

Honorable Mention: Noob - got a pair of assists and played good hockey.

 

[Jarkko Immonen]

Fun game. Shootout loss. Blah. Kreider did look good. Like Beacon said, playing with swag.

 

[Pizza]

I would have loved to have been the fly on the wall at the Rangers training center when they had the last discussion with Kreider before they sent him down.

Something seems to have clicked. We'll see if he can keep it up. I hope he's really on a mission for the recall.

 

[JCrusher*]

I would have loved to have been the fly on the wall at the Rangers training center when they had the last discussion with Kreider before they sent him down.

Something seems to have clicked. We'll see if he can keep it up. I hope he's really on a mission for the recall.

I belive kreider was going through a lot of different things. he had some injuries he also was trying to fit into Torts system and i think that took away from his ability. The kid has tremendous talent and i think we are starting to see that. I have a feeling when he comes back he will be a beast for our IF Torts lets the leash off him a little like he does for miller. I mean miller has been pretty good but kreider has a better upside IMO

 

[Pizza]

I belive kreider was going through a lot of different things. he had some injuries he also was trying to fit into Torts system and i think that took away from his ability. The kid has tremendous talent and i think we are starting to see that. I have a feeling when he comes back he will be a beast for our IF Torts lets the leash off him a little like he does for miller. I mean miller has been pretty good but kreider has a better upside IMO

I agree with that. Very few hockey players have the physical gifts and raw talent level of Kreider. It's an outstanding package of goodness for any player to posses. Kreider will be special once he settles in a bit.

Miller for his part, will surprise the heck out people imo. Lots more to that package than I thought there would be.

 

[LittleKev6D9]

Fun game. Shootout loss. Blah. Kreider did look good. Like Beacon said, playing with swag.

Awesome to hear. Thanks for the updates from both of you. Use to think Kreider would be able to dangle around players, but clearly it's not his game. Thanks again.

Hopefully Kreider finds his game down in the AHL and builds off this one. With a few more good games he might be back sooner rather than later. But from what I remember from his days at BC, he can go invisible from game to game, which is a big no-no.

 

[Beacon]

Awesome to hear. Thanks for the updates from both of you. Use to think Kreider would be able to dangle around players, but clearly it's not his game. Thanks again.

Hopefully Kreider finds his game down in the AHL and builds off this one. With a few more good games he might be back sooner rather than later. But from what I remember from his days at BC, he can go invisible from game to game, which is a big no-no.

Kreider should be told the following:

1. In your own zone, just skate up, nobody will come at you given your size and speed.

2. In the middle zone, as soon as you face an opponent, dump the puck and go chase it. You'll probably get there first. Even if you arrive there at the same time as the defender, chances are that you are bigger and stronger, so you'll win the board battle.

3. Once your team gets the puck in the opponent's third, go park near the net. You will get a ton of goals from there. You can become a 40 goal scorer there.

4. If you try to stickhandle, McIlrath will be told you cheap-shoted someone on the team, and you don't want him thinking that. Stop stickhandling, you will be a bottom-6 scrub if you keep doing this.

 

[bobbop]

What are Kreider's totals since he went back down?

 

[Brooklyn Rangers Fan]

What are Kreider's totals since he went back down?

On my phone, so I can't see the game by game stats, but I believe he has 4 goals in 3 games, no?

 

[Beacon]

On my phone, so I can't see the game by game stats, but I believe he has 4 goals in 3 games, no?

That's correct. All of them were the same: nice wrist shots while being parked in front of the crease.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

That's correct. All of them were the same: nice wrist shots while being parked in front of the crease.

By wrist shots, do you mean wrist shots or tip ins/rebounds? Because you compared his goal today to Simmonds' which was just a tip in and not a wrist shot.

 

[Jarkko Immonen]

Kreider's speed and strength stands out so much in the AHL. But yeah, all four of his goals in the last three games have been similar. He had a number of other chances tonight though. But I got a different feeling watching him play tonight, something hard to put into words. When the Whale were trailing by a goal in the third I wanted him on the ice to get a chance to tie it up. I haven't had that feeling with Kreider in the AHL yet this year. He seems like he is about to go off big time in this league. He knows how much stronger and quicker he is than a lot of other players.

 

[Jarkko Immonen]

By wrist shots, do you mean wrist shots or tip ins/rebounds? Because you compared his goal today to Simmonds' which was just a tip in and not a wrist shot.

They are shots so much as he gets the puck and shoots. No tips or deflections but the idea is that he's been realizing how easily he can park himself near the goalie and get set up to score on the powerplay.