GDT: 2024-2025 Training Camp

[Honour Over Glory]

Graves played 16 min with St Ivany last season

Graves looks better with a more defensive defenseman. If they want to move him by making him play better, maybe identify that and use him accordingly because Hollowell isn’t the right fit and a quick fix can make this game at least a little more interesting where players are not having to work harder than they need to.

Blomqvist is 6’2” and makes himself look 5’10”

 

[Dennis Reynolds]

Puustinen looks faster and stronger.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Jesus Christ Graves, moron.

 

[canadianguy77]

Graves is going to finish this season with a minus 40 or 50.

 

[Gurglesons]

Peterka is so good.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Puustinen looks faster and stronger.

Puustinen is the same weight as Jake at 5’9” he’s always been stockier than blokes here realize.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Ponomarev almost just had a sick behind the back pass to Koivunen, but then the Sabres defenseman absolutely just demolished him.

I honestly think they're going to be looking at moving some of their F depth for D depth pretty early into the year.

Agree with that. Our d looks like it's gonna be a pile of shit. I don't trust any of the young options we have and we have some issues with our vets too if Letang doesn't improve on his second half play last year and if (when) Graves sucks again.

I trust MP and EK to be good more often than not but past that it's a yikes.

I think it gets really bad really quickly after their top-6, I think Aho and maybe Kral are the only serviceable guys after their top-6. I don't think Ludvig is an NHLer based on how he performed last year and guys like Shea, Clurman and Hollowell are just pure AHL guys. They really need Pickering to get good quickly or I'm really concerned about the D depth.

It also really hurts that Graves still looks like ass and they're banking on Grzelcyk bouncing back.

 

[Gurglesons]

Koivunen IMO has looked like absolute shit in the games I've caught. Alex Nylander 2.0.

 

[Big Poppa Pump]

Puustinen looks faster and stronger.

Puusy always looks good against other AHLer's.

But if he's not top 6 with the big boys, he'll disappear in the bottom 6.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Listen I’m not saying Graves is amazeballs, I am saying for this game to not be a shit show, the pairings need to be fixed, because Graves being a dumb ass needs a smarter player, Clurman is smarter in his own end. Hollowell is more inclined to rush up the ice.

Or even just drop his ass to the 3rd pairing.
Shea, Hollowell
Ludvig, Clurman
Graves, Brunicke

 

[Pancakes]

Disagree. Aho Gryz if we ice Graves is way better then what we were icing last year.

I hope so. I'm mainly just not sold on our young depth. But if Aho and Gryz pan out we won't have to rely much on the young options unless there's lots of injuries

 

[Gurglesons]

Puusy always looks good against other AHLer's.

But if he's not top 6 with the big boys, he'll disappear in the bottom 6.

Disagree. He looked like our best bottom sixer last year IMO.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Koivunen IMO has looked like absolute shit in the games I've caught. Alex Nylander 2.0.

He was drafted in the first round, he has a higher pedigree…

Or something like that.

Also Koivunen is 21yrs old in the first Penguins camp and needs to be in WBS to work on his game, I am not worried about him as a prospect. His hockey IQ is there, he just needs to get better with his skating and some polish.

 

[Empoleon8771]

McGroarty is an absolute menace on the forecheck, even despite his mediocre speed. He has caused a shitload of turnovers already in the first period. It's not the Hagelin style of being insanely fast and just causing havoc, but McGroarty has his stick in the right spot every time to break up passes and disrupt the defenseman.

He's going to be on Crosby's line sooner than later, Crosby is going to love playing with him.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Puusy always looks good against other AHLer's.

But if he's not top 6 with the big boys, he'll disappear in the bottom 6.

That’s just a flat out wrong take.

 

[Pancakes]

Puustinen with a real slick play there

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

Ponomarev almost just had a sick behind the back pass to Koivunen, but then the Sabres defenseman absolutely just demolished him.

I honestly think they're going to be looking at moving some of their F depth for D depth pretty early into the year.



I think it gets really bad really quickly after their top-6, I think Aho and maybe Kral are the only serviceable guys after their top-6. I don't think Ludvig is an NHLer based on how he performed last year and guys like Shea, Clurman and Hollowell are just pure AHL guys. They really need Pickering to get good quickly or I'm really concerned about the D depth.

It also really hurts that Graves still looks like ass and they're banking on Grzelcyk bouncing back.

Idk how many teams can be 9 deep at D and be ok. Not worried about the 7-8-9 guys as much.

I mean idk on the F depth either. Not seeing this great depth. There’s just like 10 guys outside the top 6 who are serviceable. No strong 3rd liners who can carry a decent 3rd line or anything. So sure the depth is plentiful but TBD if it’s good.

 

[Pancakes]

McGroarty is an absolute menace on the forecheck, even despite his mediocre speed. He has caused a shitload of turnovers already in the first period. It's not the Hagelin style of being insanely fast and just causing havoc, but McGroarty has his stick in the right spot every time to break up passes and disrupt the defenseman.

He's going to be on Crosby's line sooner than later, Crosby is going to love playing with him.

Active with his stick and walling off pucks which I like.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Damn, Puustinen almost picked that corner.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

I would love for McG to turn into a Hornqvist or Kunitz-type. Would also be great for him to already be in place and a seasoned vet for the future top-5 picks this team's gonna be accumulating in short order.

 

[Empoleon8771]

I find it really weird to be rallying against Koivunen right now when he looked really good in the prospect tournament and has the primary assist on the first goal today. Yes, his acceleration is a problem, but the hockey IQ and puck skills are clearly evident.

 

[Big Poppa Pump]

Disagree. He looked like our best bottom sixer last year IMO.

He looked better in his handful of games with Geno and looked good when he had PP1 opportunity than he ever did in the bottom 6.

 

[Dennis Reynolds]

Did Rob Ray just call Puljujarvi “Palmari”?

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Rutger has always been smart with his positioning, not shocked there at all that he’s in the right position. Even in the Prospects Tournament he was smart with trailing as support and knowing where to hang back and when to block off lanes and along the boards.

Did Rob Ray just call Puljujarvi “Palmari”?

We gotta be nice with Ray, he has all of 5 brain cells left.

Brunicke is already the best of that bunch on D - I know my Mum is super happy about him doing well, fellow Joburg native.

 

[Gurglesons]

He was drafted in the first round, he has a higher pedigree…

Or something like that.

Also Koivunen is 21yrs old in the first Penguins camp and needs to be in WBS to work on his game, I am not worried about him as a prospect. His hockey IQ is there, he just needs to get better with his skating and some polish.

Koivunen was not drafted in the first round.

He's undersized, he looks like Simon.

People are wayyyyy too high on him IMO.