Prospect Info: Hartford Wolf Pack/Bloomington Bison Thread: Part XV

[RangersFan1994]

The Othmann fight for anyone interested

Love this. Rangers could have used that during their losing streak. Anyone concerned that Othmann has a lot of his points on special teams?

 

[Clark Kellogg]

Love this. Rangers could have used that during their losing streak. Anyone concerned that Othmann has a lot of his points on special teams?

My observations, not yet. He just turned 21. If the team had any depth and he wasn’t a 1st round pick I believe Knoblaugh or Smith might have sat him for a game here and there. The kid is tough as nails as witnesses by tonight’s play and looks to take the body every chance that’s available but he’s relying on his shot that served him so well in the OHL. He’s one of the two Wolf Pack forwards that doesn’t drive the net on offense instead choosing to keep to the circles to get setup for his shot and he’s also one of the two Hartford players that doesn’t protect the house, choosing to cheat a little to try to get more offensive chances.
Smaller forwards like Berard and Henriksson like all other except Othmann and Trivigno drive the net and will stand net front and battle.
Trivigno has gotten somewhat better but still won’t fully commit, now I understand why last year and the beginning of this season he was in and out of the lineup.
Before someone mentioned Sykora play I want to defend him because he’s almost always the first Wolf Pack player in the zone either on the boards or behind the net getting or battling to pass the the puck to his teammates who are positioned net front and for those rare times he’s not he gladly drives the net.

 

[cwede]

per AHL Transactions, DiGiacinto was released from his AHL SPC
(not reassigned to ECHL, as Pack had done with him during each of these 3 recent pro seasons)

maybe a Euro offer ,maybe moving on from hockey, maybe he asked for a change
with all the F's added in last 12 months, there wasn't much opportunity

its a rare arc, showing love for the game,
to follow a CHL career with 4 years at Canadian Uni,
then join pro hockey

a Ranger fan-blogger featured him as a Ranger prospect during last season
i questioned that positioning, but respect CDG taking his shot

 

[HFsNumber1Heel]

My observations, not yet. He just turned 21. If the team had any depth and he wasn’t a 1st round pick I believe Knoblaugh or Smith might have sat him for a game here and there. The kid is tough as nails as witnesses by tonight’s play and looks to take the body every chance that’s available but he’s relying on his shot that served him so well in the OHL. He’s one of the two Wolf Pack forwards that doesn’t drive the net on offense instead choosing to keep to the circles to get setup for his shot and he’s also one of the two Hartford players that doesn’t protect the house, choosing to cheat a little to try to get more offensive chances.
Smaller forwards like Berard and Henriksson like all other except Othmann and Trivigno drive the net and will stand net front and battle.
Trivigno has gotten somewhat better but still won’t fully commit, now I understand why last year and the beginning of this season he was in and out of the lineup.
Before someone mentioned Sykora play I want to defend him because he’s almost always the first Wolf Pack player in the zone either on the boards or behind the net getting or battling to pass the the puck to his teammates who are positioned net front and for those rare times he’s not he gladly drives the net.

Sykora for a 19-year-old at nearly a .5 PPG pace in the AHL is great. He's going to continue to improve.

Othmann will get better too. He's on a "normal" trajectory to be an NHL player around 22-24. That was standard before the 2004-05 lockout for NA players.

 

[bl02]

I've watched maybe 8 Wolfpack games this year and to me Berard (5 on 5) has been the most impactful (at least offensively). More than Othmann. Aren't they about the same age as well?
He has the speed and desire to drive the net and enough skill to do it.

 

[GAGLine]

I've watched maybe 8 Wolfpack games this year and to me Berard (5 on 5) has been the most impactful (at least offensively). More than Othmann. Aren't they about the same age as well?
He has the speed and desire to drive the net and enough skill to do it.

Berard was drafted a year earlier, but he's young for his draft, while Othmann was a bit older in his draft. Only about 4 months separate them, but it's still a year of development.

 

[Ranger Ric]

My observations, not yet. He just turned 21. If the team had any depth and he wasn’t a 1st round pick I believe Knoblaugh or Smith might have sat him for a game here and there. The kid is tough as nails as witnesses by tonight’s play and looks to take the body every chance that’s available but he’s relying on his shot that served him so well in the OHL. He’s one of the two Wolf Pack forwards that doesn’t drive the net on offense instead choosing to keep to the circles to get setup for his shot and he’s also one of the two Hartford players that doesn’t protect the house, choosing to cheat a little to try to get more offensive chances.
Smaller forwards like Berard and Henriksson like all other except Othmann and Trivigno drive the net and will stand net front and battle.
Trivigno has gotten somewhat better but still won’t fully commit, now I understand why last year and the beginning of this season he was in and out of the lineup.
Before someone mentioned Sykora play I want to defend him because he’s almost always the first Wolf Pack player in the zone either on the boards or behind the net getting or battling to pass the the puck to his teammates who are positioned net front and for those rare times he’s not he gladly drives the net.

I think Othmann is a shooter. I haven't seen him drive play very much. So he needs to play with someone who can get him the puck. Unfortunately the Pack are very weak at center. I think he will score more at even strength playing with creative players. I like his game but his strength is his shot.
I like Sykora for what he does but there's not a lot of offense to his game. He'll play in the NHL but his potential is limited by the lack of offense. Berard and Edstrom are more rounded players.

per AHL Transactions, DiGiacinto was released from his AHL SPC
(not reassigned to ECHL, as Pack had done with him during each of these 3 recent pro seasons)

maybe a Euro offer ,maybe moving on from hockey, maybe he asked for a change
with all the F's added in last 12 months, there wasn't much opportunity

its a rare arc, showing love for the game,
to follow a CHL career with 4 years at Canadian Uni,
then join pro hockey

a Ranger fan-blogger featured him as a Ranger prospect during last season
i questioned that positioning, but respect CDG taking his shot

He seems like a quality guy who gives everything he's got. Good luck to him if he wants to take a different path.

 

[Ranger Ric]

I've watched maybe 8 Wolfpack games this year and to me Berard (5 on 5) has been the most impactful (at least offensively). More than Othmann. Aren't they about the same age as well?
He has the speed and desire to drive the net and enough skill to do it.

Berard has had a very good year. He can drive play in a way that Othmann doesn't as much. Othmann needs someone who can get him the puck in good spots where he can use his shot. Both are good prospects but they have different skill sets.

 

[Kords]

Second pick, Othmann with former Ranger legend Dylan McIlrath

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

Love this. Rangers could have used that during their losing streak. Anyone concerned that Othmann has a lot of his points on special teams?

I wouldn't go so far as to call it a concern, but it is worth pointing out. I mentioned it a few weeks ago, and Brett Berard gets the large majority of his points 5v5, which is a great indicator of future success.

It's the same reason I would rather after a guy like Ryan Hartman than after the usual suspects we are always linked to.

That said, in his 1st NHL game, Othmann had a good showing 5v5, even getting some shifts with Kreider and Zibanejad, a pair notorious for their atrocious 5v5 pla together, and Othmann was giving that line some more structure, albeit a really small sample size.

Othmann needs to work on his 5v5 play. What's interesting is that he played RW this weekend in both Wolf Pack games, possibly something pointing towards another call up?

 

[Clark Kellogg]

I think Othmann is a shooter. I haven't seen him drive play very much. So he needs to play with someone who can get him the puck. Unfortunately the Pack are very weak at center. I think he will score more at even strength playing with creative players. I like his game but his strength is his shot.
I like Sykora for what he does but there's not a lot of offense to his game. He'll play in the NHL but his potential is limited by the lack of offense. Berard and Edstrom are more rounded players.


He seems like a quality guy who gives everything he's got. Good luck to him if he wants to take a different path.

Too early for me to analyze Sykora’s game but if someone pointed a super-squirter to my head and demand a definition I would say he’s good along the boards, a decent passer and defensively responsible. As comparing him to former players I would say he is like a mix of Jan Erixon and Jesper Fast. Not as good as Erixon defensively and not as good as Fast offensively yet.
Crazy that he wants to model his game after Brad Marchand and the kid has zero penalty minutes in 38 games.

 

[RangersFan1994]

I wouldn't go so far as to call it a concern, but it is worth pointing out. I mentioned it a few weeks ago, and Brett Berard gets the large majority of his points 5v5, which is a great indicator of future success.

It's the same reason I would rather after a guy like Ryan Hartman than after the usual suspects we are always linked to.

That said, in his 1st NHL game, Othmann had a good showing 5v5, even getting some shifts with Kreider and Zibanejad, a pair notorious for their atrocious 5v5 pla together, and Othmann was giving that line some more structure, albeit a really small sample size.

Othmann needs to work on his 5v5 play. What's interesting is that he played RW this weekend in both Wolf Pack games, possibly something pointing towards another call up?

I’d move Miller for Hartman. Hartman has term and has swagger with some skill and nasty. Good player too. Pest. A more man Marchand type

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

I’d move Miller for Hartman. Hartman has term and has swagger with some skill and nasty. Good player too. Pest. A more man Marchand type

There should be a focus on players who contribute 5v5, with how big of a weakness that is of the current team. That's why I am so surprised Alex Belzile hasn't gotten a call-up yet. Albeit a small sample size, but his 5v5 P/60 last season in the NHL would be the 3rd highest on this team.

 

[GAGLine]

Crazy that he wants to model his game after Brad Marchand and the kid has zero penalty minutes in 38 games.

That is crazy, especially considering he is undersized and underaged for the league. Any concerns we had in the summer about whether or not he is ready for the AHL have been proven unfounded.

I'm not sure how much he'll produce at the next level, but I wouldn't be surprised if he eventually works his way into the top 6.

 

[NYR Viper]

Some guys score quite a bit at the AHL or junior level and it never translates. I'll say this, the way Sykora scores is an easier transition to the NHL than say the way Othmann scores. That's not to say Othmann's scoring won't translate but scoring off of a shot from the top of the circle is harder at the NHL level than scoring from in and around the net where Sykora is normally at.

If we compare from about 15 years ago, Anisimov came over to the AHL at 19 and scored 43 points in 74 games played. Sykora has 18 in 37 which would put him projected for 36 points over a similar 74 games. I'm not saying that we should expect a ppg AHL season next year at 20 from Sykora like we saw from Anisimov but I feel like people are not taking his age into consideration as much here. The fact that he is holding a regular shift in the AHL at all is impressive.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

Some guys score quite a bit at the AHL or junior level and it never translates. I'll say this, the way Sykora scores is an easier transition to the NHL than say the way Othmann scores. That's not to say Othmann's scoring won't translate but scoring off of a shot from the top of the circle is harder at the NHL level than scoring from in and around the net where Sykora is normally at.

I think the hardest part about Othmann's goal scoring translating, is that he does most of it on the PP, which he won't see in New York with 3 consecutive coaching staffs relying heavily on the same 4/5 guys on the PP.

That said, he would play with better guys in New York who could set him up in a different way 5v5. Especially when he plays with Cuylle whose forecheck causes a lot of issues for opponents.

Right now, in terms of call-ups, this is the order in which I think players have earned a call-up (if healthy):

1. Adam Edström
2. Alex Belzile
3. Brett Berard
4. Brennan Othmann
5. Adam Sýkora

 

[Ranger Ric]

I think Othmann is a shooter. I haven't seen him drive play very much. So he needs to play with someone who can get him the puck. Unfortunately the Pack are very weak at center. I think he will score more at even strength playing with creative players. I like his game but his strength is his shot.
I like Sykora for what he does but there's not a lot of offense to his game. He'll play in the NHL but his potential is limited by the lack of offense. Berard and Edstrom are more rounded players.


He seems like a quality guy who gives everything he's got. Good luck to him if he wants to take a different path.

Here's your answer. Overseas.

 

[cwede]

with DiGi and Bonino gone, and Lesch up (and Edstrom, pekar, Nash hurt)
Pack have only 11 healthy F's

this has not posted at AHL Transactions yet,
but per ECHL Transactions Pack signing a Bertuzzi to a PTO

ECHL Transactions - Feb. 7
Reading:
Delete Tag Bertuzzi, F loaned to Hartford

son of Todd, Cousin of Tyler
22 year old C, in 2nd season post OHL
1 season w Flint as Othmann teammate

Tag Bertuzzi - Stats, Contract, Salary & More

Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Tag Bertuzzi, 2001-02-18 Vancouver, BC, CAN Canada. Most recently in the AHL with Utica Comets. Complete player biography and stats.

www.eliteprospects.com

 

[Avery16]

with DiGi and Bonino gone, and Lesch up (and Edstrom, pekar, Nash hurt)
Pack have only 11 healthy F's

this has not posted at AHL Transactions yet,
but per ECHL Transactions Pack signing a Bertuzzi to a PTO

ECHL Transactions - Feb. 7
Reading:
Delete Tag Bertuzzi, F loaned to Hartford

son of Todd, Cousin of Tyler
22 year old C, in 2nd season post OHL
1 season w Flint as Othmann teammate

Tag Bertuzzi - Stats, Contract, Salary & More

Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Tag Bertuzzi, 2001-02-18 Vancouver, BC, CAN Canada. Most recently in the AHL with Utica Comets. Complete player biography and stats.

www.eliteprospects.com

Played with Othmann in the O.

 

[RangersFan1994]

with DiGi and Bonino gone, and Lesch up (and Edstrom, pekar, Nash hurt)
Pack have only 11 healthy F's

this has not posted at AHL Transactions yet,
but per ECHL Transactions Pack signing a Bertuzzi to a PTO

ECHL Transactions - Feb. 7
Reading:
Delete Tag Bertuzzi, F loaned to Hartford

son of Todd, Cousin of Tyler
22 year old C, in 2nd season post OHL
1 season w Flint as Othmann teammate

Tag Bertuzzi - Stats, Contract, Salary & More

Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Tag Bertuzzi, 2001-02-18 Vancouver, BC, CAN Canada. Most recently in the AHL with Utica Comets. Complete player biography and stats.

www.eliteprospects.com

Any chance the Rangers sign him? He seems to have bottom 6 potential.

 

[GAGLine]

Any chance the Rangers sign him? He seems to have bottom 6 potential.

Based on what? He has size, but other than that, I don't see anything about him that would suggest he has any NHL potential at all. Never drafted, never signed to an NHL contract. Participated in a prospect tournament with Florida one year and earned an AHL deal out of that, it looks like, but he has only played 1 AHL game since then. His numbers in the ECHL don't stand out.

He's about to turn 23. He's just a warm body at this point. Maybe he'll be a late bloomer, but the odds are very much against him.

 

[cwede]

Any chance the Rangers sign him? He seems to have bottom 6 potential.

Based on what? He has size, but other than that, I don't see anything about him that would suggest he has any NHL potential at all. Never drafted, never signed to an NHL contract. Participated in a prospect tournament with Florida one year and earned an AHL deal out of that, it looks like, but he has only played 1 AHL game since then. His numbers in the ECHL don't stand out.

He's about to turn 23. He's just a warm body at this point. Maybe he'll be a late bloomer, but the odds are very much against him.

slight correction to @GAGLine post, if i read Eliteprospects page correctly,
Tag's only pro contracts have been at ECHL level, joined AHL Charlotte briefly on a PTO,
like this week w Pack

even in the most optimistic path to NHL for him, he's gotta earn an AHL contract first ...

if he became a key power forward, or defensive C, over some seasons,
maybe in '25 or '26 he could get a minimum 2-way NHL deal, as Brouillard did ...

but no reason to see that as likely, unless he really grabs this Pack opportunity and makes impact regularly

 

[cwede]

1st minute Goal Against
by old friend Julien Gautheir

 

[bl02]

Robertson nice shot and Sykora wiith the net front. Korczak gets the goal tho. Sykora is a pleasure to watch at both ends of the ice.

 

[GAGLine]

Good shot by Othmann. Assist to Berard. 2-1 Pack.