One hope we could have is that whichever NHL team drafts Slafkovsky they put pressure on him to come over and get accustomed to play this side of the pond.
He should get a shout out as well as he's projected the best international prospect.
Erie Otters 2022 Off-season Thread
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One hope we could have is that whichever NHL team drafts Slafkovsky they put pressure on him to come over and get accustomed to play this side of the pond.
He should get a shout out as well as he's projected the best international prospect.
Erie takes G Vlad Visan with their 1st round pick in the U18 draft. Has good size, had excellent stats in U18 this past season. Certainly opens the door to him competing for the backup spot and Campbell being traded or released.
Their other two picks were LWs Zachary Benayon and Bruce McDonald. Could see them competing for a bottom six spot in camp.
Their other two picks were LWs Zachary Benayon and Bruce McDonald. Could see them competing for a bottom six spot in camp.
Being a 1st round pick, 3rd overall he needs to do more.
Talent was smothered under Hartsburg but as the season went on he started proving why he was the 3rd pick. His speed, hands, IQ and shot are pretty amazing when he wants them to be.
Can get lost in games because of his temper/attitude but that same temper/attitude can give him that much needed edge to take over a shift or a game.
Next season anything less than 70 points with 30 of them being goals would probably be disappointing.
I think it's obvious the team is scambling to find an able backup to Lalonde and will take as many goalies as possible into camp which should be looked at as a major need and a good thing.
As far as forwards, I think outside of maybe our top 6, and a major impact player or two (Spence + 1?) we lack size and will need to figure out our bottom six which may not be whom we had this past season.
Taken from the 2022/2023 OA thread...
There are 16 OA goalies going into next season currently rostered. That being said I don't think we get anything for Campbell and he will likely just be released unless the OHL has a rule change and goalies don't count towards the 3 OA players.
There is no feasible path forward at this point for the good of the team.
There are 16 OA goalies going into next season currently rostered. That being said I don't think we get anything for Campbell and he will likely just be released unless the OHL has a rule change and goalies don't count towards the 3 OA players.
There is no feasible path forward at this point for the good of the team.
Yeah I think Campbell's time here is done unfortunately, and he's likely done in the OHL. Hopefully he can play in an American league, maybe the NAHL or something. He deserves another chance, COVID and the hip injury really hampered his career. With them drafting Visan #2 overall in the U18 draft I expect Lalonde to be the clear #1 this season, with Nicholls/Visan/Gibbons fighting for the backup spot in camp.
nelli27
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Christian Kyrou - 2022 NHL Draft Prospect Profile - The Hockey Writers NHL Entry Draft Latest News, Analysis & More
We profile Erie Otters defenseman Christian Kyrou. After a slow start to his season, see why he is one of the fastest risers in the draft.
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Thanks for sharing.Christian Kyrou - 2022 NHL Draft Prospect Profile - The Hockey Writers NHL Entry Draft Latest News, Analysis & More
We profile Erie Otters defenseman Christian Kyrou. After a slow start to his season, see why he is one of the fastest risers in the draft.
No reason Erie shouldn’t be better defensively next year when all 8 of their defensemen are eligible to return. No reason they shouldn’t just be better overall.
In 2017-18 and 2018-19 we excused things because the rebuild was expected and their last few top players were traded off and they lacked high end picks to immediately get better. In 2019-20 they actually showed some improvement but COVID happened and we will never know what 2020-21 could have been or what Drysdale would have fetched in a trade. This past year was the excuse of a coach fired and a full missed year of development thanks to COVID. What is the excuse for 2022-23? As far as I’m concerned they don’t have any. Minus their OAs and one of Cohen, Sedore, Morton, Thompson - everyone can be back. They have zero excuse to not improve. If they don’t, Brown should be fired
Well, I don’t think it has much to do with the naming rights. That said, Erie did sign a 10 year lease extension in 2019, or until the 2029-30 season. So, if they moved before that they would need to buy out that lease. At least nothing to worry about for another 4-5 more years. You start getting closer to the end of the lease, the buy out is easier to swallow
You Otter Be There
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Spencer Sova- 2022 NHL Draft Prospect Profile - The Hockey Writers NHL Entry Draft Latest News, Analysis & More
Spencer Sova of the Erie Otters will enter the 2022 NHL Entry Draft with a skill set that aligns with the direction of modern NHL defensemen.
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Watched the rookie camp for a few hours today. Spence is unreal. Ty Henry may need a year but no reason he doesn't make it at some point. If I was on the 4th line or 3rd line for defense I'd be worried. Some of these kids are insanely talented... didn't watch Logan Sawyer. Maybe when I get back.
Thanks for the scouting. Couldn’t find time to make it up there, but have been watching social media for updates. The future is bright.
I saw Mark Scheig was there yet literally posted no insightful info. Annoying. I remember Fernandes used to actually report and give you a quick 2/3 sentences on each player. It wasn’t much but between photos/video and some quick tweets, you had a good idea of the players that stood out. Scheig either has no interest in covering or just doesn’t know how to
He never wrote his final piece summarizing the season either...
The longer we have been removed from the Hartsburg era the more it becomes evident...He was there to try to help Chris keep a job through overblown articles about how we were on the cusp of greatness. Now, it looks like they are both removed from the organization, so to speak. Unfortunately that means we are out of people dedicated to covering them other than our own minds and what we can manage to find from other sources.
Fwiw...I think Gibbons has a legit shot at backing up Lalonde which will bode well for a playoff run/runs in the next 2 years. The other goalies were being lit up in the drills they were doing.
I can't stress this enough...Spence's hands were so incredibly soft, fast, and his edges are insane. At one point in the evening he placed 4 shots in a row bar down from about 20 feet away in a drill, all right top corner. Snapshot, snapshot, wrist shot, slap shot and like clockwork and to think we should have him for 3 years. I didn't get to see him on open ice for top end speed, but man he could change direction and pace much quicker than probably any Otter on the roster currently.
Edwards was there, participating...even though he didn't play a ton last year you could tell he has grown, but at this point I could see him fighting for a roster spot, again. Ross, Smith, Lowe, and Artichuk will definitely have to improve...especially with a new head coach this year.
It’s sad. Lack of coverage means lack of interest for the casual fan. The fact that the SeaWolves get more coverage and actually have writers to follow them is embarrassing.
If I had the time and ability to, I would cover the team for free. Only because the fans and players deserve it.
MLB is directly a cause of that. Minor league ball benefits directly from MLB and thus, the need to be a "winning team" compared to developing prospects takes on a different meaning. Pre-covid the Seawolves had arguably the best starting 5 pictures in baseball, were way out in front. What did Detroit do? Shut them all down, saved their arms, and Erie tanked, missed the playoffs and Detroit didn't bat an eye.
The Otters have no such protections or luxury. Sure, if Spence or Sova are highly coveted and drafted their NHL team may sweeten the pot and lighten the load for Waters and company, but they aren't doing it for all 20ish players year in and year out.
I think it is part of the reason people want more success with the Otters compared to their baseball counterparts.
If the NHL purchased farm system teams like MLB does, then we would likely get that coverage, but I don't ever see it happening, especially with the CHL being Canadian entities and what seems like little desire to have American teams.
The Otters have no such protections or luxury. Sure, if Spence or Sova are highly coveted and drafted their NHL team may sweeten the pot and lighten the load for Waters and company, but they aren't doing it for all 20ish players year in and year out.
I think it is part of the reason people want more success with the Otters compared to their baseball counterparts.
If the NHL purchased farm system teams like MLB does, then we would likely get that coverage, but I don't ever see it happening, especially with the CHL being Canadian entities and what seems like little desire to have American teams.
The biggest question is how were the goalies and what the heck is their plan to be better in net this year?
I’m somewhat good with Lalonde but unless he takes huge strides, he shouldn’t be playing 54 games again. They need a backup option that is closer to splitting the net with Lalonde.
Last year Erie finished with the 3rd worst combined team SV% in franchise history. Behind only the 2006-07 (15 wins) and 2018-19 (26 wins) teams.
It’s also interesting that 2 of their worst 3 years of team SV% have come in 2 of the last 3 years. The goaltending with this franchise has been one of their biggest downfalls over 25 years. Even in their winning years, their goaltending collapsed at some point in the playoffs. So the fact that it’s only been getting worse in recent years is a problem because A) It’s a known issue that you haven’t been able to address and B) They have spent real resources to fix it and it ain’t working
I’m somewhat good with Lalonde but unless he takes huge strides, he shouldn’t be playing 54 games again. They need a backup option that is closer to splitting the net with Lalonde.
Last year Erie finished with the 3rd worst combined team SV% in franchise history. Behind only the 2006-07 (15 wins) and 2018-19 (26 wins) teams.
It’s also interesting that 2 of their worst 3 years of team SV% have come in 2 of the last 3 years. The goaltending with this franchise has been one of their biggest downfalls over 25 years. Even in their winning years, their goaltending collapsed at some point in the playoffs. So the fact that it’s only been getting worse in recent years is a problem because A) It’s a known issue that you haven’t been able to address and B) They have spent real resources to fix it and it ain’t working
What I heard was the not playing Nicholls wasn't his decision. He wad ready and willing to play and was actually quite disappointed he didn't play more.
If true, that means he is either
1. Not their guy
2. Not ready to play.
In scenario 1 I think they take a new goalie to start behind Lalonde. If it is scenario 2 that could mean Gibbons gets a full season in minors.
Interesting to note, Campbell was at this rookie camp and helping out in every way he could. I think that speaks volumes to the person he is and his parents raising him.
As far as this weekend camp...Gibbons is likely the only one who looked ready to play in a backup capacity. Now, I only saw a few hours and some kids could have had jitters and maybe underperformed, but I wasn't crazy impressed with what I saw in net. Also have to keep in mind, the level of talent there is not OHL level and even Gibbons could use some time in development.
Nicholls didn’t play much because he just wasn’t ready and wasn’t OHL level. With a minimum of 10 games played in a season, Nicholls .849% is 2nd worst all time in team history. He just didn’t earn any more time than he got and the only reason he played the amount he did was Lalonde at 17 years old couldn’t carry it either
Imo they need to make a trade for a goalie. Campbell has never really shown to be a good backup, let alone a capable starter. Lalonde needs to be better so getting a vet to push him is best case. Idk who are options but they need a guy to compete with Lalonde and be able to play 30 games. Because the recent goalie play has been so frustrating with this franchise. Fix it. And if you aren’t going to trade for a goalie then you should be going after one in the import. Idc how good Gibbons is, he shouldn’t be here full time yet. Let him slowly develop. If he earns some time then you can always give him 2-3 games in call up action. But he shouldn’t be your backup full time of you expect to actually be better this year…
*yawns*
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Nolan Lalonde - 2022 NHL Draft Prospect Profile - The Hockey Writers NHL Entry Draft Latest News, Analysis & More
We profile Erie Otters goaltender Nolan Lalonde. He came into the OHL was buzz around him. What will that mean for his draft stock?
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