Saw good chunks of last few games. A few observations.
1. Team is playing much better with the addition of Jones. Carpenter and Rydahl (back from injury) also in lineup too. But Jones is the catalyst that makes the whole team faster and more skilled. Night and day. The team was looking really slow offensively the whole season until Jones showed up. His inclusion has slotted the rest of the D into their right slot. Emberson has looked a lot better. Robertson has looked better. The over-reliance on Welinski is no longer an issue. And having more forward depth has also helped. I have to say, at this point in the season, I think Emberson and Robertson are more even as prospects than I would have thought. I thought Robertson would be closer given his size, but I just think he's trying to play this hybrid style where he's trying to add a lot on the offensive side. Like a true #1 in A. And he's not nec that guy at the next level. I think he needs to be more Ryan Graves or Dan Girardi than K'Andre Miller. I would tell him to play with a knife in his pocket before I asked him to join the rush. His size, skating and decent skills could turn him into a shut down player, but he needs to play with more edge.
Back to Jones, he's an NHL player playing in the AHL at this point. Is he great in his own zone? Not yet. But the muscle he added in the offseason really shows. He can handle himself physically. He just needs to get better about covering the front of the net. His recognition in coverage, his body positioning, his reliance on his stick -- all add up to his netfront game getting in the way of what should be a regular job in the show.
2. They put together a middle six line of all Scandinavian kids. Rydahl, Henriksson and Paju. I thought they were pretty effective. And pretty gritty. Rydahl gets banged up a bunch in part because he plays all out, all the time. He's not heartbeat Harvey, but he's more in that Jesper Fast mold -- with more size, but less skill and less IQ. That said, he's a breath of fresh air, but he is limited offensively. He'll create chances, he'll be quick in getting off his shot, but it won't probably won't go in. And he will put himself in some seriously prone positions to make a play. Henriksson and Rydahl make an interesting defensive forward duo. Rydahl's speed and tenacity and putting his body in the way, and Henriksson's smarts. I like. Paju, he's been ok, but I dunno if he bulked up in the wrong way in the offseason, or if it's different linemates but he's not as dangerous as last year. He's not getting to the dangerous spots on the ice nor is he getting to use that great shot of his.
3. Cuylle played with Carpenter and Reuschoff (or was it Fritz or Elson), my memory of that line is failing me. But they were effective and fairly decent. I mean the whole team was, really. Would like to see even more from Cuylle. His skill tends to show up when he plays with more skilled players. But it goes away when he's not the complimentary piece. What I'd like to see more than anything is for him to use his size and muscle on every shift in an effective way. Reuschoff and Rempe are generally better at that right now than Cuylle. For Cuylle: You want him to have a slightly better nose for the puck, meaning he's gotta get to those spots where the puck battles happen a step or two quicker. It's not about speed, it's about recognition and maybe tenacity (he plays under control. maybe too much under control). If you put Rydahl and Cuylle together, you'd have one hell of a fourth liner. He's by no means an ineffective player. But he's not consistently effective. You don't need Cuylle to become Chytil or Gauthier in the AHL where he shows up on the scoresheet every game, but you do want him to be a consistent force in all zones where if there's a battle, Cuylle's taking his puck and going home every time. Right now, I feel like he's often not quite in the right position to do that. He is tending to play a more positionally conservative game but that's making him less assertive on the forecheck at times. He's still so young, so it may come with age.
4. Rempe. Last few games I finally got to see Rempe. He is in that Reuschoff, Gettinger mold. But somehow, he is bigger. He is skinnier right now. But what you notice in his game right away, he's meaner physically. He's more imposing. Reuschoff and Gettinger do use their body but they're not heat seeking missiles. Rempe has that edge to his game. He creates space out there. He scored on a really nifty shot last night. But I don't really see offense being a big part of his game. Or even a small part, really. Rebounds, deflections and screens will likely where he might get some points. He needs to smooth out his game, but he could be a real pain in the ass for teams to play against because he's one of those rare big guys that actually seems to play with a chip on his shoulder. I'm not even talking about his fights, it's more how he finishes checks. He could be a really valuable piece down the road. He knows exactly how he has to play to be effective and already plays that way. In that sense, I give him a leg up over many of these prospects who don't quite figure out exactly how to play their role. He already knows. I'm intrigued.
5. Trivigno. Still my favorite forward prospect. I dunno if he's destined to become another Anthony Greco or Vinny Lettieri. Or if he has another gear to his game that will help him carve out a role in the NHL. But I just love watching him play. He'd be a fan favorite if he ever made it. I think he has more skill than most of his teammates. Smarter player than any forward we have in the A right now. A nose for the puck at this level.
6. Garand. Got his 2nd shutout of the season. He's very solid when the team in front of him is playing a responsible game. Garand doesn't necessarily play big in net. He's listed at 6'1" and so the hardest part of the game is when he's getting screened and dealing with a lot of traffic. When the D succeeds in clearing a path for him to see pucks, he is very calm and solid. Last night was a good example. He also made some really tough saves. But again, because he's not necessarily huge in net, he's going to have make up for it with athleticism and reflexes or supreme positioning. Getting used to pro-style traffic in front, deflections, rebound control etc. I think this is going to be where his development lies. That and keeping his focus when a softie goes in. He seems to have had trouble in the A not letting things snowball.
6. Finally, Elson and CJ Smith. They are fine. Smith suffers from tunnel vision at times and mediocre all around game. Elson is a bit better as a linemate. But in general, neither are high IQ vets. So, they are not the kind of vets that make their AHL team considerably better. Greco was a far better fit for helping the team in that regard.
