Kitchener Rangers 2024-25 Season Thread, Part I

[East Avenue Bully]

After a rocky start, solid game. Pridham slotted right in and looked comfortable AF, esp on offence.

Gotta clean up on some of the penalties, but a good happy birthday game for Jussi.

 

[GeoBlue]

So, assuming that once healthy, F’s Stark and Grisolia will dress.

Who comes out of the lineup?

........or maybe we say goodbye to Swick ad Missile?

 

[Squirrel88]

After a rocky start, solid game. Pridham slotted right in and looked comfortable AF, esp on offence.

Gotta clean up on some of the penalties, but a good happy birthday game for Jussi.

I thought Pridham's speed fit well on the second line. They looked as good as they have since Stark went down. Jussi made a comment in his post game interview that P made Lam 'play faster'. I wonder if the coaches don't like when Lam tries to slow the game down in the neutral zone.

Pridham often looked like he was thinking about where to be and what to do, especially on the PP. Needs some reps so the system comes a little more naturally.

Tough game for Bilecki.

 

[Krangers08]

Anstis is out of the “non contact jersey” at practices.

 

[EvenSteven]

Barring a trade, when healthy, these are the forwards I start every night:

Swick. Romano. Miseljevic.
Pridham. Ellinas. Lam.
Grisolia. Mercer. Stark.
Hlacar. Labrash. Vermeulen.

That leaves Bottineau, Arquette, Anstis and Headrick. Not a good place for Bottineau to be.

I shuffle the remaining forwards through the lineup depending on the opponent. I assume Cameron plays mostly at JrB.

Against physical type teams, or high end teams, I make sure older, bigger players dress.

Against the bottom feeder type teams, the kids would slot in.

Among 05 forwards, Grisolia and Mercer are the same type of player but I believe that Grisolia just does it better.

Among 06 forwards, Vermeulen has easily surpassed Bottineau. The coaching staff has been using Vermeulen on the second line with the Stark injury and he’s been fine there. Otherwise, he’d have been dropped out of the top six. He also a fixture on the second PP unit.

Now that Pridham is here, it seems like he’s bumped Vermeulen down the lineup but he still on the second PP unit. That tells me he isn’t going anywhere.

If it comes down to Mercer vs Bottineau, I want to go with Bottineau. He’s bigger, more physical, and a year younger. But what throws a wrench into that thinking is that Mercer is a center and Bottineau is a winger. We have an abundance of wingers. Not a lot of centers. Mercer is very good on the PK. And he’s right behind Ellinas on faceoff win percentage. That means on the PK, he’s the center I want to start on every PK.

With all the above in mind, I’m finding a home for Bottineau somewhere around the league.

As far as the kids go, Headrick is still a long way from returning. For me, I find a spot for him to play big minutes on a JrB team. It’ll be hard to expect him to join the team in, say, February and contribute. I don’t see where he’d get much ice time under those circumstances. Let him play JrB locally. He still practices with the big team, and we get him into the odd game.

If/when we move Swick and/or Miseljevic, the kids come into the lineup.

 

[Ref Hannah]

I thought Pridham's speed fit well on the second line. They looked as good as they have since Stark went down. Jussi made a comment in his post game interview that P made Lam 'play faster'. I wonder if the coaches don't like when Lam tries to slow the game down in the neutral zone.

Pridham often looked like he was thinking about where to be and what to do, especially on the PP. Needs some reps so the system comes a little more naturally.

Tough game for Bilecki.

Do think think Pridham pulled him aside and told him to try a Michigan? Hahahah. Try that on Tuesday Lamy. Kids on borrowed time. Embarrassing to the entire organization.

........or maybe we say goodbye to Swick ad Missile?

Neither...Mike is making a run.

 

[EvenSteven]

Do think think Pridham pulled him aside and told him to try a Michigan? Hahahah. Try that on Tuesday Lamy. Kids on borrowed time. Embarrassing to the entire organization.

He got crushed trying it. Learned a lesson I hope.

 

[Ref Hannah]

He got crushed trying it. Learned a lesson I hope.

I sit him an entire game, if not entire weekend. To make matters worse, he tried it again at the other end.

 

[Ref Hannah]

I sit him an entire game, if not entire weekend. To make matters worse, he tried it again at the other end.

We have the bodies, nip this discipline stuff in the bud now. Not to mention Romano's double handed swing and a miss slash luttle tantrum in the first. Embarrassing! Andos 10 min with 1:00 to go. All against the worst team in the league? Can't wait until Tuesday!

 

[Ref Hannah]

One last point tonight...
If there is any doubt in your minds about Little Mikey and Jussi not being development minded..
Why did Schaubel not get the nod against the worst team in the league? This is about wins and butts in seats period. Now Mike is in a corner with way too many kids. All 08s are going down. And 07s will be in the stands. It's a show. Period. Community owned business. With several huge egos steering the ship!

 

[Matttheleaf]

I sit him an entire game, if not entire weekend. To make matters worse, he tried it again at the other end.

Well I'm glad you aren't the coach then or else we'd probably be in the Petes situation right about now.

 

[Ref Hannah]

Well I'm glad you aren't the coach then or else we'd probably be in the Petes situation right about now.

Nope....closer to London's situation. A development destination. Not a newly founded NCAA prep destination.

 

[Matttheleaf]

Nope....closer to London's situation. A development destination. Not a newly founded NCAA prep destination.

In a world where smaller skilled players are making names for themselves at higher levels you want to punish them all by sitting them or constantly critiquing them when they do something you don't like. Romano is a prime example of someone you have constantly been harping on and he's only gone and gotten exponentially better. If he was playing under a coach that though like you he would probably have half the points and be sitting every other game with no hope of getting better.

Ultimately I hate how negative you are in this board and half the time you don't seem like a true fan, but rather seem like an old man yelling at clouds.