Hate to see them go. Both of them put in a lot of work this offseason and I get it it’s a business, but now the lines won’t look as good and there’s gonna be a big hole in defense.
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Erie Otters 2023-24 Off-Season Thread (Part One)
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I called it.. someone else from the forward group was getting released. Hard to stay on the roster with that age, size, and offensive production.
His mom is a single mom who had to work two jobs to make ends meet to pay the bills and for his equipment/ice time. She often had 6-7 people who would take Taeo to and from practices when he was in minor hockey if she wasn’t able to due to work. It was a huge coordinated event. He credits his mom for all the sacrifices she made for him to get where he is today. His goal was to play in the NHL to give back to his mom after everything she did for him.
Erie News Now did a story on him but it appears to have been deleted.
He’s a smaller sized player but hustles his heart at every shift. He was coachable and a team player. His size limited him, but he always seemed to improve each year. He was a consistent player who didn’t take a shift off.
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Offense explodes...
Gaudreau stood on his head multiple times to make some HUGE saves to keep the momentum for the good guys all game.
Johnston is a beast...not only did he win the first fight...he then was stalked and suckered from behind and knocked out a second Windsor player when McDonald got checked to the head.
This team is big, fast, and can play well when they buy into each other.
Gaudreau stood on his head multiple times to make some HUGE saves to keep the momentum for the good guys all game.
Johnston is a beast...not only did he win the first fight...he then was stalked and suckered from behind and knocked out a second Windsor player when McDonald got checked to the head.
This team is big, fast, and can play well when they buy into each other.
I think I’m in shock at the overall turnaround we are seeing. Literally had the light sucked out of us last week and this week it’s a total 180.
We finally have a decent goalie and a solid mentor for Gibbons. I hope we continue to build on these systems. One game it’s hard to say if this is how we will play all year, but on paper we should be playing this well.
It was refreshing to see everyone get off the bench and congratulate Gaudreau after the first period. Gibbons actually stood at the door when players entered and left the ice during intermissions. It’s nice to see the team atmosphere.
We didn’t see it much under Hartsburg or maybe I just blacked out those years since it was an awful time.
McDonald was fantastic. The defence looked good. The systems are being put in place and there’s support at all levels. Daviault played up in the rush, but there was always one dmen to help bail out if needed.
The Smith penalty shot really set the pace. A solid forward who isn’t flashy but gets the job done.
I’m still looking for Spence to break out. Maybe I have a higher expectations, but I was hoping to see more from him.
Schaefer is still a stud. His impact is felt. Same goes for Misiak.
I know this win can be celebrated tonight and business as usual tomorrow, but hopefully this is the turn of the season they needed. Shut out in the first trip to Mississauga, but tomorrow can be different if they play together as a team. Keep the momentum going.
We finally have a decent goalie and a solid mentor for Gibbons. I hope we continue to build on these systems. One game it’s hard to say if this is how we will play all year, but on paper we should be playing this well.
It was refreshing to see everyone get off the bench and congratulate Gaudreau after the first period. Gibbons actually stood at the door when players entered and left the ice during intermissions. It’s nice to see the team atmosphere.
We didn’t see it much under Hartsburg or maybe I just blacked out those years since it was an awful time.
McDonald was fantastic. The defence looked good. The systems are being put in place and there’s support at all levels. Daviault played up in the rush, but there was always one dmen to help bail out if needed.
The Smith penalty shot really set the pace. A solid forward who isn’t flashy but gets the job done.
I’m still looking for Spence to break out. Maybe I have a higher expectations, but I was hoping to see more from him.
Schaefer is still a stud. His impact is felt. Same goes for Misiak.
I know this win can be celebrated tonight and business as usual tomorrow, but hopefully this is the turn of the season they needed. Shut out in the first trip to Mississauga, but tomorrow can be different if they play together as a team. Keep the momentum going.
definitely good to pick up some wins but NIA/WSR are like the 2 worst teams in the league or certainly going to finish bottom 5.. so this imo doesn’t mean much right now. But ya, it’s good to get wins and confidence or else this could have gone south real quick, real bad
Agree. These are also the games you look at in March and say man we should’ve picked up two points here and there when it comes down the the standings. Win the “easy” games early on and build momentum.
If we lost in Niagara, I thought we would go 0/6 this weekend after the rough start of the season.
Atleast we saw the potential there and with real goaltending it can make the difference.
Ferda11
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Good to see Benny have 2 great starts for ya'll. Seems to have given you guys a bump. Good stuff 
Completely agree...
You can't look at easy games and say...so what, it's an easy game. A win is a win is a win and if it starts to help build confidence for the boys moving forward, then it's a huge win.
Throughout the season you expect to run in a best case scenario .500 against the top teams, however the teams projected to finish towards the bottom you should be aiming wins across the board. Come March, regardless of where a team is projected these wins matter for points and hopefully momentum and confidence builders to finish out October and head into November.
Yes a win is a win but with this team and recent history.. it’s fair and honest to say “well, let’s see…” because they have had better starts and/or better stretches only for them to then lose like 8 of 10 or worse. I still have a lot of doubts but I’m not going to dispute the recent wins. We should be positive - You gotta start somewhere, and 2 wins is a start after the opening they had. But I’m just not jumping on the train yet
There’s the team I know and love!!!
As an aside, Gibbons is a bust. I mean this franchise is completely lost when it comes to drafting and developing goalies. It’s pathetic. Lawr, Lalonde, Gibbons were all high end picks and all turned out to not only never be legit, none were even backup level or OHL level… like talk about dysfunctional. You would think just off complete luck that at least 1 turns out to be average
As an aside, Gibbons is a bust. I mean this franchise is completely lost when it comes to drafting and developing goalies. It’s pathetic. Lawr, Lalonde, Gibbons were all high end picks and all turned out to not only never be legit, none were even backup level or OHL level… like talk about dysfunctional. You would think just off complete luck that at least 1 turns out to be average
Dude. So you and me disagreed about this organization 5-6 years ago. You pivoted a little bit and started to see what I was seeing. We’ve been seeing pretty much eye to eye over the last few years. I always agree with you and your opinions. Excellent, un-biased, fact based analysis on a regular basis. You have the ability to change your viewpoint and admit when you were wrong. It’s a rare trait I respect very much. Now, I understand your pessimism. I get your concern on DB and Butler. I question the amount spent on Gaudreau also. I’m telling you though….this Otters squad is ok. Yeah, so this is not their year and they need to make some moves for the future. I get that. Totally agree. If they play their cards right though? I like this squad. There’s gonna be growing pains over the season but I think they could do a soft sell and still finish in a 5-6 spot and win a couple in the playoffs. I think THIS is finally the roster and the year the Otters take that first step back to respectability.
I will take 4 out of 6 points every time we have a 3 in 3. That's a huge win, regardless of the competition, and an improvement from recent years where we were lucky to escape with 1 or 2!
Appreciate it! I have enjoyed your thoughts over the years as well. I think I just have some PTSD from recent years haha, hard to stay positive
I do think Gaudreau helps but if your backup is going to be this horrible, it’s not going to mean much. BG has been an upgrade thus far but to what extent will that matter? Time will tell. Idk what they saw to keep Gibbons over Downey other than just not wanting to admit their mistake or give up on a high round pick in Gibbons but man, he looks lost. I think I picked them to win 32 games because I do see some talent but something about the makeup of the team and development of their youth is just off
You’re only as good as your goaltenders. We filled the void with BG, but need to upgrade the backup. First we need to get a goaltending coach since we don’t have one or at least a decent one. Dave Brown better be on the phone looking for a backup and not any in our “system” because it will be a bust. The only one I’m rooting for is Maverick Fletcher, but he’s also only a 2006 without OHL experience.
I will say I made my Misa comment prior to his hat trick. He just seems to get better. I didn’t think he was flashy last year, but he’s improved.
i could be mis remembering, but didnt he do an interview saying he was coming after all of mcdavids records?
I thought Henry, while he was maybe out of position on the second Mississauga goal and was way up ice on the third one, looked very good offensively yesterday. Not afraid to rush it, has very good speed for his size, and can handle the puck really well at high speed. I’m looking g forward to watching him.
I don’t believe it was him since it doesn’t sound like his character. He was level headed and just happy to be playing at the next level.
I Loveallsports
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