Prospect Info: 2019-20 Syracuse Crunch & Prospects Thread

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Tampacuseforever

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Nov 3, 2012
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They are all in on development right now, with the young guys getting excellent opportunities to perform. I’m not so sure they are all in on winning right now. Nothing wrong with that you have to find out what you have sooner or later.
 

HoseEmDown

Registered User
Mar 25, 2012
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Fire Groulx?

The teams problems aren't really his fault. He's tried 4 different goaltenders and they've all been bad. Most of the good young players are developing well still which is the most important thing. The two most important things the team is missing is a reliable goaltender and that shutdown C. The team doesn't have its Angelidis or Dumont to play the heavy minutes and tough assignments. The Ingram trade is looking worse and worse every day, Ingram is a top 3 goalie in the league right now.
 

CaptBrannigan

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Apr 5, 2006
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With regards to Condon, I believe he has to agree to an ECHL move since he is on a NHL contract. I remember there was some scuttlebutt with Helenius the second time he was in N.A., team wanted him with Florida Everblades but he had right to refuse as he was on an NHL 2-way deal, not AHL contract.
 

Felonious Python

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Aug 20, 2004
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With regards to Condon, I believe he has to agree to an ECHL move since he is on a NHL contract. I remember there was some scuttlebutt with Helenius the second time he was in N.A., team wanted him with Florida Everblades but he had right to refuse as he was on an NHL 2-way deal, not AHL contract.
Well, the rule is that you have to get their permission if they're not on their ELC.

The intent is to keep him a short time to find his game, and let him be on his way. We had Spencer Martin on the same arrangement, so that probably had some effect convincing Condon to come down.

I think that with the World Championships a few months away, Syracuse with extra goalies, there's enough incentive for him to work his tail off the next few weeks so if the Crunch fall short of the playoffs, or he's the guy still on the outside, there's still the World Championships.
 

These Are The Days

I need about tree fiddy
May 17, 2014
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some Alnefelt saves





Gonna have to nickname this kid Hugo "Boss" Alnefelt at this pace. Love what I saw. Reminds me of a poor man's Vasy with that lateral movement with a blend of Hasek with how crazy it looks but I'll be damned if those shots didn't go in. He's gonna have to lose that habit of slonking down into that a "frog" position after saves though. If he or a teammate doesn't get that puck it's in the back of the net. But by the looks of it if you give him another year in Sweden to develop and he'll no doubt be ready for anything he's gonna face in North America.

Loving this pick
 
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TheDaysOf 04

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Good news on Nolan Foote


Captain Nolan Foote has been listed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury since the January 10th game against the Kamloops Blazers. The Tampa Bay Lightning prospect made a visit to Tampa Bay last week to meet with their medical staff where he was evaluated and cleared to return to action. Foote could return to the Rockets lineup this Saturday against the Red Deer Rebels.
 

TheDaysOf 04

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Jun 23, 2007
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Foote has missed 23 of the last 24 games due to injury or Team Canada commitments. The recovery was taking longer than expected, so he flew to Tampa Bay, Florida, over the weekend to meet with the Lightning’s medical staff.

Tampa chose Foote in the first round of last spring’s NHL draft.

“They definitely helped,” said Foote. “Their trainers are top notch, real high quality. It definitely helped, but they just wanted to take a look at it because it wasn’t progressing or getting better since the (World Junior) tournament. It’s finally to where we wanted it to be.”
“The injury feels strong. It feels good, and I’m ready to get back, skate this week and hopefully play Saturday.”

The silver lining was another trip to Tampa to hang out with the Lightning.

“They’re all good to me. (Steven) Stamkos and those guys talked to me about World Juniors, and that, saying ‘Congrats.’ It was a really cool experience.”
 

TheDaysOf 04

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Game 51 Preview: Syracuse Crunch at Binghamton Devils - Syracuse Crunch
Crunch head coach Ben Groulx enters the night with 153 career wins with the Crunch. He is one win shy of matching Ross Yates for second place on the all-time wins list in franchise history. Current Utica Comets assistant coach, Gary Agnew, holds the franchise record with 220 wins.

Groulx holds a 153-88-17-20 career record with the Crunch. His 0.617 points percentage as Crunch head coach is second in Crunch history behind Jon Cooper (0.662), but it is the highest among those who coached at least one full season.
 

Felonious Python

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Aug 20, 2004
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Today's Solar Bears game scheduled for 7 pm is supposed to be streamed free on the ECHL's Facebook page.
 

DFC

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Sep 26, 2013
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Notes from the game:

Take into account that, while I watch a lot of hockey, I am obviously not an expert, which has been proven on these boards many times. ;)

So, Moncton 4 vs. Saint John 1 (Fortier vs. Cajkovic)

The Game:

The game was VERY chippy. These two teams are about an hour's drive away from each other and Moncton embarrassed SJ 10-2 a couple of nights ago. There were a lot of downright dirty plays going on and an absurd amount of (warranted) Unsportsmanlike Conduct penalties handed out. So I'm not sure how much of my observations translate to how these players would perform in a "typical" game.

Also of note, these teams are not close in talent. Moncton dominated all night long, which probably skewed the way I saw things.

The Players:

Fortier was hands down the best player on the ice. And that's saying something because he plays for a very strong Wild Cats team. He was named 1st star, with two goals (one was an empty netter) and an assist. It was the assist that was dazzling. On a 2-on-1, he deked the goalie before dishing off to a teammate for a tap in. Watching it live, I actually thought he mishandled the puck and the SJ defender knocked it in, but, the replay showed otherwise. It was a highlight reel assist.

His non-EN goal also came on a 2-on-1. His teammate managed to slip a puck by the defender and Fortier one-timed it home. Great hands, good shot.

Skill-wise, Fortier surprised me. He looked to me like the fastest player on the ice, and was beating players one-on-one all night. Protects the puck well. His vision was most surprising. Let me qualify this by reiterating that Moncton was toying with the Sea Dogs all night, but, near the end of the game, Fortier made a no-look, between-his-own legs pass to a man in the slot. The puck wound up going wide, but it was eye-opening to see that kind of creativity out of a guy whose scouting reports never really talk about it.

If I had to compare him to a current/former Bolt... I'd say, stylistically, he has a little bit of Brayden Point in him. He likes to motor around the offensive zone waiting for plays to open up--or, at least, that was the case tonight. Obviously, I'm not saying he's going to turn into Brayden Point. I'm just saying he has a very similar style--fast, creative, responsible.

Cajkovic wasn't as good as Fortier tonight, but he was maybe more interesting to me. The first thing I noticed is he looks big. He's listed at 5'11 but I'd bet a lot of money he's bigger than that. He looks much bigger than Fortier, who's listed at 5'10. Throughout the night I sized him up next to other players, and he looks at least as big as the guys listed at 6'0 or even 6'1. It might be an optical illusion because of his build and the way he plays.

Cajkovic had a feisty night. He finished every check hard and was involved in a few face-washing sessions. In the 3rd period he was particularly on edge, and got into Moncton's face at every opportunity. At one point offered to drop the gloves with a Wild Cat while the two of them were on their way off for a change. He then had a lengthy jawing session with the same player (the two of them were sitting at the respective ends of their benches, so they just leaned out and yelled at each other for a solid 30 seconds). At another point he took a pretty huge open ice hit, easily the biggest hit of the game. He took it like a champ and got right back into the play, but as soon as the whistle blew, he swatted the first Wild Cat he saw. Honestly, he had about 5 instances where he probably should have taken a penalty, but the referees were busy dealing with more egregious shenanigans.

Cajkovic was arguably SJ's best player tonight, although that honor could go to their standout defenseman, Jeremie Poirier, who scored his 17th goal of the year. Cajkovic showed good hands throughout the night and probably created more scoring chances than any other Sea Dog. He also already has an NHL shot. He protects the puck with his body really well, turning away from defenders Jagr-style (obviously not as good as Jagr, but just to give an image most people understand).

I've seen scouting reports talking about Cajkovic's speed, but I don't think those are accurate. He's an excellent skater, but his speed wasn't much more than average among the players in this game. He separated himself with his hands, smarts, and physicality. If the game had been more competitive, I think his offensive flare would have been more on display. I got to see flashes of it. But his physicality was the thing that impressed me most.

For an NHL/TB comparison, I didn't get to see the top-6 upside. I just think he's going to have to get faster for that to be a reality. He looks to me more like a bottom-6 guy, probably a 3rd liner, with good offensive skills and instincts. He reminded me a little bit of Cedric Paquette with the way he was throwing his weight around and getting involved in scuff-ups, but he has better hands than Paquette. A similar shot. He's a better skater than Paquette by a mile, but, weirdly, I think Paquette has better top-end speed. The other guy who, while watching, wouldn't stop coming to mind: Imagine if Erik Cernak were a forward and liked to stickhandle a lot more. He has some similarities to Alex Volkov too.

One last time: The game was so chippy that it might have shown me a non-typical side of Cajkovic. So my observation on him, in particular, could be way off, but that's what I saw. It was interesting though because I think a player like this is always welcome with the Lightning. He plays a skilled, scrappy game. I was surprised by the amount of scrappiness though.

...And, seriously, this kid is bigger than 5'11.
 
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TheDaysOf 04

[ 2 6 ] [ 4 ]
Jun 23, 2007
54,052
23,681
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Notes from the game:

Take into account that, while I watch a lot of hockey, I am obviously not an expert, which has been proven on these boards many times. ;)

So, Moncton 4 vs. Saint John 1 (Fortier vs. Cajkovic)

The Game:

The game was VERY chippy. These two teams are about an hour's drive away from each other and Moncton embarrassed SJ 10-2 a couple of nights ago. There were a lot of downright dirty plays going on and an absurd amount of (warranted) Unsportsmanlike Conduct penalties handed out. So I'm not sure how much of my observations translate to how these players would perform in a "typical" game.

Also of note, these teams are not close in talent. Moncton dominated all night long, which probably skewed the way I saw things.

The Players:

Fortier was hands down the best player on the ice. And that's saying something because he plays for a very strong Wild Cats team. He was named 1st star, with two goals (one was an empty netter) and an assist. It was the assist that was dazzling. On a 2-on-1, he deked the goalie before dishing off to a teammate for a tap in. Watching it live, I actually thought he mishandled the puck and the SJ defender knocked it in, but, the replay showed otherwise. It was a highlight reel assist.

His non-EN goal also came on a 2-on-1. His teammate managed to slip a puck by the defender and Fortier one-timed it home. Great hands, good shot.

Skill-wise, Fortier surprised me. He looked to me like the fastest player on the ice, and was beating players one-on-one all night. Protects the puck well. His vision was most surprising. Let me qualify this by reiterating that Moncton was toying with the Sea Dogs all night, but, near the end of the game, Fortier made a no-look, between-his-own legs pass to a man in the slot. The puck wound up going wide, but it was eye-opening to see that kind of creativity out of a guy whose scouting reports never really talk about it.

If I had to compare him to a current/former Bolt... I'd say, stylistically, he has a little bit of Brayden Point in him. He likes to motor around the offensive zone waiting for plays to open up--or, at least, that was the case tonight. Obviously, I'm not saying he's going to turn into Brayden Point. I'm just saying he has a very similar style--fast, creative, responsible.

Cajkovic wasn't as good as Fortier tonight, but he was maybe more interesting to me. The first thing I noticed is he looks big. He's listed at 5'11 but I'd bet a lot of money he's bigger than that. He looks much bigger than Fortier, who's listed at 5'10. Throughout the night I sized him up next to other players, and he looks at least as big as the guys listed at 6'0 or even 6'1. It might be an optical illusion because of his build and the way he plays.

Cajkovic had a feisty night. He finished every check hard and was involved in a few face-washing sessions. In the 3rd period he was particularly on edge, and got into Moncton's face at every opportunity. At one point offered to drop the gloves with a Wild Cat while the two of them were on their way off for a change. He then had a lengthy jawing session with the same player (the two of them were sitting at the respective ends of their benches, so they just leaned out and yelled at each other for a solid 30 seconds). At another point he took a pretty huge open ice hit, easily the biggest hit of the game. He took it like a champ and got right back into the play, but as soon as the whistle blew, he swatted the first Wild Cat he saw. Honestly, he had about 5 instances where he probably should have taken a penalty, but the referees were busy dealing with more egregious shenanigans.

Cajkovic was arguably SJ's best player tonight, although that honor could go to their standout defenseman, Jeremie Poirier, who scored his 17th goal of the year. Cajkovic showed good hands throughout the night and probably created more scoring chances than any other Sea Dog. He also already has an NHL shot. He protects the puck with his body really well, turning away from defenders Jagr-style (obviously not as good as Jagr, but just to give an image most people understand).

I've seen scouting reports talking about Cajkovic's speed, but I don't think those are accurate. He's an excellent skater, but his speed wasn't much more than average among the players in this game. He separated himself with his hands, smarts, and physicality. If the game had been more competitive, I think his offensive flare would have been more on display. I got to see flashes of it. But his physicality was the thing that impressed me most.

For an NHL/TB comparison, I didn't get to see the top-6 upside. I just think he's going to have to get faster for that to be a reality. He looks to me more like a bottom-6 guy, probably a 3rd liner, with good offensive skills and instincts. He reminded me a little bit of Cedric Paquette with the way he was throwing his weight around and getting involved in scuff-ups, but he has better hands than Paquette. A similar shot. He's a better skater than Paquette by a mile, but, weirdly, I think Paquette has better top-end speed. The other guy who, while watching, wouldn't stop coming to mind: Imagine if Erik Cernak were a forward and liked to stickhandle a lot more. He has some similarities to Alex Volkov too.

One last time: The game was so chippy that it might have shown me a non-typical side of Cajkovic. So my observation on him, in particular, could be way off, but that's what I saw. It was interesting though because I think a player like this is always welcome with the Lightning. He plays a skilled, scrappy game. I was surprised by the amount of scrappiness though.

...And, seriously, this kid is bigger than 5'11.
Thanks for all the info DFC! Hope you had a good time too!

That's 12 goals in 16 games for Fortier since his trade.
 
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