Niagara Icedogs 2024-25 Season, Part II

[Fastpace]

London players won’t be back tonight

I doubt it, the Hunters normally gives the returning players from the WJC a break with their families, before having them resuming their action with the team. Don't expect to see them in tonight's lineup

 

[Sam14]

I would like to interrupt this discussion about how terrible the team will be in 3 years to talk about this weekend.

Any chance London will get their WJC players back for tonight?

Now, I'm sure you don't actual read what is written on here. No one has ever mentioned they would be terrible in three year. The discussion has always been their lack of surplus draft capital and finances required to augment the good young talent on this roster (through trades and the import draft), either next year or the year after.

However, to answer your question DE. London will be without their 5 top players, so this is a golden opportunity for the IceDogs to get some points in a game they otherwise wouldn't.

 

[Dogs Enthusiast]

Sam14, you said in the past that our lack of extra draft picks will hurt us in the future.

Here is a quote before the season started:

OHL championship teams are built around a long range plan; strategic demographic planning; astute trades; shrewd management of draft picks (e.g., pushing draft picks forward); ability to recruit high-end talent and success at the OHL Priority Draft. Instead, DeDobbalaer recklessly disposes of young players and high draft picks, simply to fulfill … “the mandate right now is to make sure we make the playoffs”.

Right there you are saying DD mortgaged our future to make the playoffs this year. It is a constant theme in your posts.

 

[Sam14]

Sam14, you said in the past that our lack of extra draft picks will hurt us in the future.

Here is a quote before the season started:



Right there you are saying DD mortgaged our future to make the playoffs this year. It is a constant theme in your posts.

Exactly, this actually supports what I have been saying all along.

Where did I indicate they would would be terrible in three years? Show me that post!

What is written below has always been the complaint of myself and other Departed STH. This is how a championship team is built and success sustained.

“OHL championship teams are built around a long range plan; strategic demographic planning; astute trades; shrewd management of draft picks (e.g., pushing draft picks forward); ability to recruit high-end talent and success at the OHL Priority Draft.”

 

[Mcnotloilersfan]

I am not a fan of DD. However it is ridiculous to suggest he has not done anything right. Clearly some stuff worked out for him. It can't all be dumb luck.

Another topic. I am super glad that Gretzky has been scrubbed from the website and his ownership status is a mystery. With his trumpy love and foray into politics it would reflect poorly on the IceDogs to have him as the face of the organization. In fact, if he was majority owner I might be inclined to give up my tickets.

I just can't call this doing things right. He took a last place team and ran them through 2 more last place finishes. The way the OHL works, even 'dumb luck' should have had them as a playoff team last year.

In his first 2 seasons he had a long history of trading key assets for mid players, and then trading those players shortly after for lesser assets. Bringing in and keeping Flores is one of the few decent intentional moves.

At any level of hockey, I don't like giving too much credit for top 5 picks, unless a team had a tough choice and knocked it out of the park (Oilers with Drai over Bennett for example).

Roobroeck and Wassilyn will sure fire BPA, and Czata was the best player available that was guaranteed to report from what I recall.

If the team has continued success, I'll throw him some credit. But right now, it's more a case of the inevitable as high draft picks are coming into their own while other teams begin to rebuild.

 

[dirty12]

I'm very supportive of the players and the results they are getting. However, I don't project any of this success onto DD.

Kevin He was drafted before he bought the team. Roobroeck, Wassilyn and Czata are all top 5 picks and Brauti, while I really like the player, was a massive overpay to acquire.

The reality is, any competent manager would be running with the same core players, while also having an abundance of picks stockpiled to add to this core for this year and next.

He is the only player from Dedobbelaer’s first draft.

Brauti, Blair, 2,3,4,*3,8,14 in exchange for Frolov, Podrekar, Reid, 2,2,3,3,3.
Broken down further; Brauti & Blair, 4,8,14 for Frolov, Podrekar, 2,3. I do not see that as a massive overpay at all.

 

[Sam14]

He is the only player from Dedobbelaer’s first draft.

Brauti, Blair, 2,3,4,*3,8,14 in exchange for Frolov, Podrekar, Reid, 2,2,3,3,3.
Broken down further; Brauti & Blair, 4,8,14 for Frolov, Podrekar, 2,3. I do not see that as a massive overpay at all.

Broken down. It was
Bruati for Frolov, 2nd, 3rd, 3rd.
Scott for Prodrekar.
There is a reason why “someone” notable in the OHL said, “Barrie landed Bertuzzi and got Niagara to play for him.”

Niagara is happy to have Brauti but it doesn’t change the fact they overpaid for him.

 

[dirty12]

Broken down. It was
Bruati for Frolov, 2nd, 3rd, 3rd.
Scott for Prodrekar.
There is a reason why “someone” notable in the OHL said, “Barrie landed Bertuzzi and got Niagara to play for him.”

Niagara is happy to have Brauti but it doesn’t change the fact they overpaid for him.

Wrong.
Someone notable in the OHL kisses bums of those having a beef with DD for info

 

[frontsfan67]

I am not a fan of DD. However it is ridiculous to suggest he has not done anything right. Clearly some stuff worked out for him. It can't all be dumb luck.

Another topic. I am super glad that Gretzky has been scrubbed from the website and his ownership status is a mystery. With his trumpy love and foray into politics it would reflect poorly on the IceDogs to have him as the face of the organization. In fact, if he was majority owner I might be inclined to give up my tickets.

All because of politics? Not to change the subject but do you like the military nights? Wouldn’t that be political too?

Personally I don’t care about who votes where- doesn’t matter to me I’m just going to do what’s best for me.

Gretzky who is the greatest player of all time being an owner of the ice dogs would bring fans out simply just because of that. With all the controversies surrounding the team in previous years it appears gretz didn’t want to attach himself to that

 

[Dogs Enthusiast]

For whatever reason. I am glad Gretzky is not the face of the organization today. He has become a polarizing figure in Canada. Its a real shame actually.

Sam14, I don't have time today to look thru your post history.

 

[Sam14]

Sam14, I don't have time today to look thru your post history.

I can save you the time. I have never written that!

 

[leafs4life94]

Broken down. It was
Bruati for Frolov, 2nd, 3rd, 3rd.
Scott for Prodrekar.
There is a reason why “someone” notable in the OHL said, “Barrie landed Bertuzzi and got Niagara to play for him.”

Niagara is happy to have Brauti but it doesn’t change the fact they overpaid for him.

Am I crazy to think that net that's not that bad? Brauti is top 20 in D scoring and will be a likely OA, so his value alone is arguably more than a 2/3/3 - Kingston got that for Budnick who was a year older, albeit totally different types of defenders.

 

[Sam14]

Am I crazy to think that net that's not that bad? Brauti is top 20 in D scoring and will be a likely OA, so his value alone is arguably more than a 2/3/3 - Kingston got that for Budnick who was a year older, albeit totally different types of defenders.

The trade was made on August 19, 2024. A 2, 3, 3 was the fair price for the undrafted 06 Brauti.

 

[dirty12]

Am I crazy to think that net that's not that bad? Brauti is top 20 in D scoring and will be a likely OA, so his value alone is arguably more than a 2/3/3 - Kingston got that for Budnick who was a year older, albeit totally different types of defenders.

Both Brauti and Virgilio were good value imo; and at the end, I expect it to be great value.

 

[Dog Fan]

WOW!!! What an embarrassing game. Flores left high and dry but acting like a petulant child.

 

[Mcnotloilersfan]

Tonight's game is a prime example why it makes no sense to make any run at this year. London is missing their top guys still too.

 

[three dog night]

Ouch

 

[three dog night]

Barkley two goals plus two assist paced London to a 9 to 4 victory over the Icedogs before 9,061 fans n London. Next game tomorrow night in Owen Sound.

 

[bigsportsfan]

However, if at the beginning of the season I told you they would be fighting for first, would you have believed me?

DD has built a team that is going to be competitive for a long time. Last year, you started the season with a faulty coach and OHL sanctions.


This year, you have a top team that is scaring a lot of other teams and scouts because DD went in a different direction.

This team has used draft picks the way they should be used. to build the team.

I remember @Sam14 complaining about the lack of WEuro and that Loshko was not going to last with the team.

This team has the parts to bring great hockey to the Niagara region. Are they going to be the top team in the OHL this year Not a chance. BUT they are going to be one of the top teams next yer and for the foreseeable future.

Also remember that if they need draft picks they can get them BUT I really do not see a need.

You now have a team that is highly competitive. Does it need tweeking sure but all teamsneed that.


You need to be looking for a goalie and a defenceman next year.

Ask @dirty12 or @frontsfan67 If they wouldlike this team in KIngstonor would have minded the build up that got it there.

Fans now want everything NOW The idea of drafting and developing is long gone for most teams. That is why London does so well.

@beastintheeast, to me it seems like your trying to say that DD had some sort of plan when he bought the team and that now we are seeing the benefits of that plan. However, I don't think that is true at all.

In 2022-2023 (DD's first season as owner), DD made a ridiculous number of trades. In total, through trades he brought in 17 new players. Out of those 17 players, only two are currently with the team and the other 15 players are no longer with the IceDogs. In some cases, he acquired players and then traded them away the same season. For instance, he acquired Matthew Papais for a 3rd and 4th and then after just 6 games traded him away for a 5th.

In 2023-2024, DD brought in 12 players through trades. Only 4 players are still with the IceDogs and the other 8 players no longer play for the IceDogs. That season he acquired Brody Crane for a 3rd, 3rd and 4th and then traded him away less than two months later for a 6th.

The first two seasons under DD were a three ring circus in Niagara

He really had no proper plan when he bought the team. At one point he even said that he didn't believe in building teams and said he thought it was better to just put the best team on the ice every season.

So why are they doing well this year. Well, simply put you can't do bad every season. Finishing in last place for 3 straight seasons has allowed them to pick early in the draft and allowed them to acquire Loshko off waivers. Plus Floris has developed into a top goalie and they now have a very good coaching staff that has them playing a very good system. They also spent a lot of draft capital acquiring players just to be competitive.

I also think DD has realized that you can't make trade after trade and every team needs to go through the rebuild cycle, but that is something that every half knowledgeable fan knows. It shouldn't have taken DD two seasons to learn that.