F Trevor Connelly - Tri-City Storm, USHL (2024, 19th, VGK)
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William H Bonney
Registered User
He wasn't allowed to try out. He was disqualified by USAH for NTDP tryouts, the Select 16 Player Development Camp, etc. as punishment for the prior issues.
WeThreeKings
Demidov is a HAB
IDK man, even at 18 years old I knew the line was shitting in my teammates bags.
Well, I think he was 16 yo, but I take your point.
There have been other issues, too, but i think the main issue with him is that teams do not want to be known as the team that drafted a bullying anti-semite. True or not, that is the way that some media outlets will frame it, and make no mistake, some STH's will drop because of it. If I was head of a team's PR dept, I would want to paid extra to deal with the mess.
It will be fascinating to see how long GM's will be able to hold out from drafting him. It's high risk/high reward of a different type than they normally worry about.
WeThreeKings
Demidov is a HAB
WarriorofTime
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- Jul 3, 2010
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I mean, Montreal drafted Mailloux with his issues, and that's hardly a "quiet" market.
It could also be that a team who will have no trouble finding new STH's would also be a place that takes him. Toronto is hardly a quiet market, but could sell their ST's 10 times over, and are desperate to win. They are also picking in the 20's, where Connelly will probably be BPA.
Is there a more polarizing player than Trevor Connelly ?
Probably not, find out what I think about the player, right here.
Probably not, find out what I think about the player, right here.
Leto
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- Feb 16, 2023
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Given the public and financial backlash (from sponsors and media) Montreal got from drafting Mailloux, I don't see Geoff Molson wanting another potential backlash. Especially after he canned Bergevin , Trevor Timmins and Paul Wilson.
Likewise, I don't see Chicago, Boston and Utah (via Arizona) having that appetite.
Likewise, I don't see Chicago, Boston and Utah (via Arizona) having that appetite.
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WeThreeKings
Demidov is a HAB
They did and they paid for it. It was one of the things that cost Bergevin his job, sponsors were threatening to pull out, etc.
Bergevin and his crew underestimated the backlash there would be because they were in their old school boys will be boys bicep club.
After the backlash from Mailloux, Mitchell Miller, etc. teams know that the blowback can/will be severe. Some markets and teams are not gonna take that risk.
BondraTime
Registered User
He's going to drop into the teens, possibly further, in all liklihood.
Some team is going to get a top 5 talent much later than they should. I'm not too worried that his past is going to affect his future in the NHL, but it's absolutely a valid concern for teams.
It can be absolutely valid, sometimes it's something you regret near immediately.
Sometimes it's Josh Ho-Sang, and the character concerns are something that can't be chased away.
Sometimes it's Getzlaf, a guy considered a top player, who teams thought interviewed poorly and had a very bad charachter and "maturity" issues. And of course it needs to be taken into account that 2003 legitimately had the best 1st round in NHL history as well.
Some team is going to get a top 5 talent much later than they should. I'm not too worried that his past is going to affect his future in the NHL, but it's absolutely a valid concern for teams.
It can be absolutely valid, sometimes it's something you regret near immediately.
Sometimes it's Josh Ho-Sang, and the character concerns are something that can't be chased away.
Sometimes it's Getzlaf, a guy considered a top player, who teams thought interviewed poorly and had a very bad charachter and "maturity" issues. And of course it needs to be taken into account that 2003 legitimately had the best 1st round in NHL history as well.
Appreciate your thoughts on his game, Simon. Will be interesting to see where he is drafted, and by who. The lower the better, IMO, both for the player, and the team who takes him.
I thought it was reported that he urinated on a teammate's equipment but either one is pretty awful
Bowie22
blow it up
josra33
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- Aug 11, 2008
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Bowie22
blow it up
Leto
Registered User
- Feb 16, 2023
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This was not reported in The Athletic article. However, a member of HF has heard the story allegedly happened during Connelly's time with the U16 Long Island Gulls. You can find it by using the search bar.
"Many NHL evaluators were already aware that, in 2022, when he was 16, Connelly posted to Snapchat a picture of a teammate sitting on the floor of the children’s area of a library with building blocks assembled in the shape of a swastika. Connelly added the caption “creations.” He was removed from his team, the Long Island Gulls, after that incident."
There are also reports of him bullying smaller teammates on some of his CA teams from multiple parents.
"The Athletic interviewed more than a dozen parents who had a child who was a teammate of Connelly’s during at least one of those seasons. Ten of those parents said they witnessed behavior by Connelly that they considered troubling, and eight of those 10 parents described Connelly’s actions as bullying.
Four parents said they saw Connelly punch a teammate during practice; three of those parents said they saw it happen multiple times. "
The urinating incident, "among other alleged acts", was when he was 14yo at Bishop Kearney school. He left the school after only 2 weeks.
There are a couple/few other things. My view is that if these are the ones we know about, there are probably a bunch that we don't know about. I am not a fan of bullying, and disagree that it has to be part and parcel of sports, but in general, none of the incidents by themselves rise to the level of what Miller or Mailloux did. I also think that if Connelly tries any of that stuff in the pros then he won't last long, so if it's a problem it will be taken care of, one way or another.
The problem for any team drafting him will be the negative PR it will bring on Connelly and the team right from the start. No one wants the headache, frankly. Instead of the "aw, shucks, can't wait to play for this organization" they will be playing defense right from the start, dealing with angry fans, possibly lose STH's who feel strongly about bullying/anti-semitism, etc. OTOH, the race for top 6 talent in the NHL is very real. Teams will have to weigh the negatives v the positives of picking Connellly, just like any other prospect. The only difference is that in his case the negatives are off ice ones rather than, say, Greentree's lack of footspeed, Eiserman's perceived lack of versatility, or Parascak's lack of size, speed.
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Rabid Ranger
2 is better than one
Yes, if you only look at the beginning of Simon's tape you will see that, together with him praising his ability with the puck. Later, however, he goes into detail about the flaws in his game, such as holding onto the puck too long, not involving teammates, giveaways, and a mediocre shot, among other things, that caused him to rate Connelly lower than most(30th, i think?).
For myself, I don't mind seeing a prospect overhandle the puck a bit, as it's a good way to develop skill, even though it can hurt your team if done to excess. You just have to hope that he is coachable, and can alter his game to get rid of the negatives, while still keeping the creativity and skill.
Rabid Ranger
2 is better than one
I feel this is the conversation that surrounds almost every skilled, confident player. Connelly is going to drop for two reasons 1) his off-ice baggage 2) he's a non-USNTDP USHL player. Nothing has demonstrated that he is beyond redemption or isn't coachable. That said, he'll probably drop to the lower half of the first round for the aforementioned reasons.
Pavel Buchnevich
"Pavel Buchnevich The Fake"
I think there are legitimate questions about if he's not a smart hockey player.
Between the penalty that lost the team the U18 Worlds and some of his skating around aimlessly and throwing the puck into traffic with no target or getting stripped of the puck, I don't know if he thinks the game well in many regards.
Some of his decisions on the physical parts of the game are also very questionable. I've seen him hold onto pucks in the USHL and get absolutely crushed bad enough that there's no way a player can keep taking hits like that and survive. These weren't legal hits and were penalized, but still there are better decisions to be had in all these decisions, and I don't know if he is capable of it.
Between the penalty that lost the team the U18 Worlds and some of his skating around aimlessly and throwing the puck into traffic with no target or getting stripped of the puck, I don't know if he thinks the game well in many regards.
Some of his decisions on the physical parts of the game are also very questionable. I've seen him hold onto pucks in the USHL and get absolutely crushed bad enough that there's no way a player can keep taking hits like that and survive. These weren't legal hits and were penalized, but still there are better decisions to be had in all these decisions, and I don't know if he is capable of it.
Rabid Ranger
2 is better than one
These aren't issues unique to Connelly though. Even the best prospects are guilty of these things. If Connelly had no off ice baggage he's likely a top 10 shoo in. Maybe higher if the team has seen enough of him play.
