Andrei79
Registered User
- Jan 25, 2013
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Yes, I still want to know whatever his trajectory ends up being, but thank you for the valuable contribution.
Laval Rocket: GDT: Rocket at Rochester 16 Nov 5:05 PM
- Thread starter Tyson
- Start date
Im not writting him off... i think he will have a great career in Switzerland, as a professional, and make good bank.. he's not (however) an NHL player, now, or in the future.
You may be right...and you may be wrong. All I know is that in the 5 games I watched he showed some great skills, speed and vision. He wouldn't be the 1st late 1st round pick to bust that's for sure.
Im just a realist.. tired after decades of listening to a fan base prop up "middling" players who offer nothing unique.
He's shifty, and has decent vision.. guess what? Hundreds of players currently in the AHL offer exactly that.. hes small, soff, and has an attitude.. what on earth does he have that even remotely looks like an asset to an NHL team? Any team?
Andrei79
Registered User
- Jan 25, 2013
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Bro, I just want to know when he's back.
Speed and Vision? Like i said hundreds of AHL hopefuls have the same assets.. that he couldnt crack anything of merit in the OHL is telling... a future NHLer top 6 (bc he has no chance at bottom 6) in D+2 shiuld be at close to 1.5x ppg in OHL.. he was anything but.. can't score.. i take Newhook over him every day, and i'd be extatic if Hugo could unload Newhook for picks..
He could become an ABB and be a keader for our Farm Club, but guess what? Dude thinks he's above the AHL - and therefore a negative asset.. he'll be back in Europe next year..
It's ok, we swung and missed on a mid 20 1st pick.. it happens... temper your expectations, this dude is not ever going to even get a sniff of the NHL.
I think you are being overly dismissive of Mesar.
You can ask @Bombshell11 , I have been a pretty harsh judge of Mesar, but he did show good progress before his injury.
I still think he won't be on the Habs due to our wingers, but he's showing interesting things.
- Jun 24, 2012
- 85,289
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Dauphin with the hatty and the Rocket allow 3 goals or less in all of their 14 games this season. 
JianYang
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- Sep 29, 2017
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I remember reading somewhere that first rounders basically 50/50 in terms of carving out an NHL career, so if we break it down further and look at late first rounders, I'd imagine that they are more likely to bust than make it.
That's just something to put things in perspective.
Not a lot of offence tonight (shots I mean) . Certainly having ABB out hurts. If Kidney and or Farrel could ever get it going, they’d have a solid lineup all the way down. Perrault doesn’t seem to be at this level either. Getting Mesar back will help.
Maybe not a deserving win but there’s a ton of teams in the ahl who win because of strong goaltending. The Marlies and Belleville have done it for years.
Skip Bayless
The Skip Bayless Show
- Aug 28, 2014
- 21,884
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Next game is Wednesday November 20th. After that it's Friday/Saturday. Same thing the following two weeks.
Perreault coveted enough to be drafted in the 1st round and doesn't appear to be good enough for the AHL. Drafting 18 year old is such a crap shoot
ChesterNimitz
governed by the principle of calculated risk
- Jul 4, 2002
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Here are my observations of yesterday's late afternoon game against Rochester.
Overall, it was a gutsy performance by what was clearly a tired team that had played the night before in Syracuse. At times, the team looked like it was skating in mud and was frustratingly trapped in its own zone for extended periods of time by Rochester's strong forecheck. The team played much of the game in desperation mode but found a way to win. People laugh at the notion of creating a winning culture but whatever benefit such a mindset creates, these young players' confidence will only be enhanced by playing in such a positive atmosphere.
This was a game that was won principally through the performance of the team's veterans. There were positive flashes from our prospects, but without the performance and leadership of the team's veterans, the result would have been much difference and down right ugly.
I thought it was a bounce back game by Beck who, even in the adverse conditions the team faced, displayed the skills, speed and high compete level that will make him an important player for Montreal going forward. He was a bit better on face-offs, but is no where close to achieving the level of dominance he had in the OHL. Beck made multiple plays that created high grade scoring chances ( including setting up Trudeau who hit the post) , had several excellent scoring chances himself including a break-a-way from center ice on which he beat the goalie to only hit the goalpost. I can say one thing for certain, once Beck gets a step on you, no one, at least no one at the AHL level, is catching him. This kid is simply a great prospect.
Tuch had his usual physical game, and along with Beck and Engstrom were the only prospects that could skate with, or even outskate, the Rochester players. He was banging, he was forechecking and back checking. His skating even earned him some time on the power play. He'll never be a big scorer. He doesn't have that level of talent. But Tuch will make everyone around him better as his mere presence (and the threat of his speed) will open up the ice for his linemates. This kid will play in the NHL, no question about it.
Roy, like many of his fellow forward prospects, was largely invisible. But that's not surprising. Rochester is a big, fast team and unless you can create space and time for yourself, you will be invisible. And therein lies the problem with Roy and his ultimate upside. He's not a great skater. He has elite skills from the waist up. But in the jet wash of a fast team, you just don't see him. Roy had a few bursts, made a few nice plays when on the power play but they were just scattered flashes in a rather inconsequential game by this skillful but enigmatic player.
Similar to Roy, Kidney had a quiet game. He showed a bit of skill (even had a scoring chance) and grit, but was largely overpowered by a bigger, faster opponent. Kidney's progression is undeniable. Last year I thought he would struggle to play in ECHL. Kidney is now playing and competing competently in the AHL. If his progression continues, Kidney has a real chance of playing at the next level. He has the tools and the necessary compete level.
Davidson had a fair game. Not a great skater, Davidson has enough skating ability to complement his other attributes, good offensive vision, high compete level, good physicality and a excellent shot. In recognition of his shot, Davidson played the point on one of Laval's power plays. Davidson had a couple of scoring chances including one play that he showed surprising speed that allowed him to circle the Rochester net and try a wrap- around shot that was almost successful.
Both Farrell and Florian Xhekaj had non-descript games. Farrell showed a couple of bursts of quickness and was a recipient of one Beck's great passes that resulted in a scoring chance but was largely ineffective against the size and speed that Rochester presented. Xhekaj, who had to endure the repeated mangling of his name by the Rochester TV announcer was equally ineffective . Xhekaj was again terrible on face-offs, had a few bad give-a-ways and other than a couple of plays were he displayed his straight away speed, was usually a step too slow to have any impact on the flow of the game.
Mailloux was forechecked effectively by Rochester, who appeared to have no fear, rightly so, that Mailloux could ever evade same. Mailloux also had trouble physically handling the larger Rochester forwards. Mailloux was more effective on the power play where for one of the few times this season, he faked the drop pass and skated the puck into the Rochester zone. He followed that rush with another good rush that led to a good scoring chance. Mailloux's vision and passing skills are unmatched on the Laval team and he was able to distribute the puck effectively on the powerplay. Mailloux was aggressive (not too aggressive) stepping up in the neutral zone and was able to break up several Rochester rushes using good anticipation and his long stick. He was also aggressive at the offensive blue line and successfully pinched down the boards to keep Rochester bottled up in their zone. Mailloux supported the offensive rush several times and showed good speed without the puck. All in all, it was a fair game for Mailloux.
Engstrom continues to show that he is Laval's most mobile defencemen. He is probably the only Laval defenceman that can circle his own net, beat the forecheck and transport the puck up the ice. He did that repeatedly, which relieved the unending pressure on Laval when the game was in the balance. Engstrom, may not have Mailloux's vision, but his superior agility and mobility at the offensive blueline gives Laval two options for quarterbacks for the power play. Engstrom logged huge minutes in the game and played particularly well when killing penalties. He was Laval's best defenceman and showed that he is ready if he's called up to the Canadiens. Ideally, Engstrom should spend the rest of the year in Laval. But if he's called up, Engstrom's good mobility won't let him be embarrassed.
Trudeau had one of his best games of the season. He played physical, transported the puck on a number of occasions, made some excellent passes including one that resulted in Laval's second goal and competed hard all game long. It's hard to get a firm read on this player. Some games Trudeau looks horrible and others, like yesterday afternoon, he looks like he may have a future at the next level.
Overall, it was a gutsy performance by what was clearly a tired team that had played the night before in Syracuse. At times, the team looked like it was skating in mud and was frustratingly trapped in its own zone for extended periods of time by Rochester's strong forecheck. The team played much of the game in desperation mode but found a way to win. People laugh at the notion of creating a winning culture but whatever benefit such a mindset creates, these young players' confidence will only be enhanced by playing in such a positive atmosphere.
This was a game that was won principally through the performance of the team's veterans. There were positive flashes from our prospects, but without the performance and leadership of the team's veterans, the result would have been much difference and down right ugly.
I thought it was a bounce back game by Beck who, even in the adverse conditions the team faced, displayed the skills, speed and high compete level that will make him an important player for Montreal going forward. He was a bit better on face-offs, but is no where close to achieving the level of dominance he had in the OHL. Beck made multiple plays that created high grade scoring chances ( including setting up Trudeau who hit the post) , had several excellent scoring chances himself including a break-a-way from center ice on which he beat the goalie to only hit the goalpost. I can say one thing for certain, once Beck gets a step on you, no one, at least no one at the AHL level, is catching him. This kid is simply a great prospect.
Tuch had his usual physical game, and along with Beck and Engstrom were the only prospects that could skate with, or even outskate, the Rochester players. He was banging, he was forechecking and back checking. His skating even earned him some time on the power play. He'll never be a big scorer. He doesn't have that level of talent. But Tuch will make everyone around him better as his mere presence (and the threat of his speed) will open up the ice for his linemates. This kid will play in the NHL, no question about it.
Roy, like many of his fellow forward prospects, was largely invisible. But that's not surprising. Rochester is a big, fast team and unless you can create space and time for yourself, you will be invisible. And therein lies the problem with Roy and his ultimate upside. He's not a great skater. He has elite skills from the waist up. But in the jet wash of a fast team, you just don't see him. Roy had a few bursts, made a few nice plays when on the power play but they were just scattered flashes in a rather inconsequential game by this skillful but enigmatic player.
Similar to Roy, Kidney had a quiet game. He showed a bit of skill (even had a scoring chance) and grit, but was largely overpowered by a bigger, faster opponent. Kidney's progression is undeniable. Last year I thought he would struggle to play in ECHL. Kidney is now playing and competing competently in the AHL. If his progression continues, Kidney has a real chance of playing at the next level. He has the tools and the necessary compete level.
Davidson had a fair game. Not a great skater, Davidson has enough skating ability to complement his other attributes, good offensive vision, high compete level, good physicality and a excellent shot. In recognition of his shot, Davidson played the point on one of Laval's power plays. Davidson had a couple of scoring chances including one play that he showed surprising speed that allowed him to circle the Rochester net and try a wrap- around shot that was almost successful.
Both Farrell and Florian Xhekaj had non-descript games. Farrell showed a couple of bursts of quickness and was a recipient of one Beck's great passes that resulted in a scoring chance but was largely ineffective against the size and speed that Rochester presented. Xhekaj, who had to endure the repeated mangling of his name by the Rochester TV announcer was equally ineffective . Xhekaj was again terrible on face-offs, had a few bad give-a-ways and other than a couple of plays were he displayed his straight away speed, was usually a step too slow to have any impact on the flow of the game.
Mailloux was forechecked effectively by Rochester, who appeared to have no fear, rightly so, that Mailloux could ever evade same. Mailloux also had trouble physically handling the larger Rochester forwards. Mailloux was more effective on the power play where for one of the few times this season, he faked the drop pass and skated the puck into the Rochester zone. He followed that rush with another good rush that led to a good scoring chance. Mailloux's vision and passing skills are unmatched on the Laval team and he was able to distribute the puck effectively on the powerplay. Mailloux was aggressive (not too aggressive) stepping up in the neutral zone and was able to break up several Rochester rushes using good anticipation and his long stick. He was also aggressive at the offensive blue line and successfully pinched down the boards to keep Rochester bottled up in their zone. Mailloux supported the offensive rush several times and showed good speed without the puck. All in all, it was a fair game for Mailloux.
Engstrom continues to show that he is Laval's most mobile defencemen. He is probably the only Laval defenceman that can circle his own net, beat the forecheck and transport the puck up the ice. He did that repeatedly, which relieved the unending pressure on Laval when the game was in the balance. Engstrom, may not have Mailloux's vision, but his superior agility and mobility at the offensive blueline gives Laval two options for quarterbacks for the power play. Engstrom logged huge minutes in the game and played particularly well when killing penalties. He was Laval's best defenceman and showed that he is ready if he's called up to the Canadiens. Ideally, Engstrom should spend the rest of the year in Laval. But if he's called up, Engstrom's good mobility won't let him be embarrassed.
Trudeau had one of his best games of the season. He played physical, transported the puck on a number of occasions, made some excellent passes including one that resulted in Laval's second goal and competed hard all game long. It's hard to get a firm read on this player. Some games Trudeau looks horrible and others, like yesterday afternoon, he looks like he may have a future at the next level.
