Ontario Reign 20-21 Part III

[Chazz Reinhold]

Lucky goal from Bustcotte.

 

[Ray Martyniuk]

Great shot and goal by Turcotte

 

[Ray Martyniuk]

The Reign have to play like they're a bunch of nobodies and that everyone they play are going to embarrass them...what they've done in the past is the past doesn't guarantee you anything,no goals, no assists no NHL looks

 

[bland]

I dunno if I agree with that. The team is neutered by and large.

There are players in the org lauded for their leadership, like Turcotte, Anderson, JAD, and Bjornfot, but there are no nut swingers.

This organization hasn't drafted one winger since Pearson in 2012 who would be considered as a favorite to win a 50/50 puck battle along the wall. Hell, the amount of any wingers with NHL projection drafted since then can be counted on less than one hand.

The biggest weakness of the NHL roster is its inability to win board battles to get pucks out of their zone. Possession builds and builds until an icing, penalty or scoring chance is created. Rinse, repeat. Defenders have no real outlets, those chip plays from behind the net to the half wall have very little chance of getting cleared out if anyone other than Iafallo is there to battle. Who can be counted on to maintain a late lead by killing time along the wall?

Toffoli, Pearson, Lewis, King, Clifford - players who routinely dominated board play have been replaced with speedsters. Its a soft team. Nobody is on the way to help either. They must start prioritizing players capable of thriving in tight, physical low-event moments so their skill players aren't spending so many shifts chasing the puck around their zone.

 

[Ray Martyniuk]

The problem with the Reign is that they think they something(Ego)! They need to get hammered badly again to bring them back to Earth...that and they need to make the simple plays...and of course their netminding has been abysmal most nights

 

[Frolov 6'3]

Lucky goal from Bustcotte.

Filthy.

 

[apadilla]

I'm not surprised because I've had that fact crammed down my throat anytime I've suggested I'm remotely happy with Turcotte's season.

He shot 27% in that 2019 season, 14% in college and is currently shooting 5%. Some of that is self inflicted and growth, some of that is dude is just crazy snakebitten.

Naturally he scores his 3rd goal in his next game. People need to be objective about him before each game

 

[Statto]

Naturally he scores his 3rd goal in his next game. People need to be objective about him before each game

Turcotte has 14 pts in 25 games and Kupari who a lot of people want on the NHL roster has 18 points in 27 games. He’s doing OK since coming back from injury and as RJ says he has a shooting % currently that is well under where he will be usually. He’ll figure it out.

Akil Thomas has 16 points in 32 games and again he’s another people, including me, think is worth a call up. Turcotte seems to be getting judged differently purely due to his draft position. Once these guys are signed the draft position no longer matters in terms of how they are developed. Turcotte has got better as the season has progressed and the most important thing for him is to stay healthy.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Turcotte has 14 pts in 25 games and Kupari who a lot of people want on the NHL roster has 18 points in 27 games. He’s doing OK since coming back from injury and as RJ says he has a shooting % currently that is well under where he will be usually. He’ll figure it out.

Akil Thomas has 16 points in 32 games and again he’s another people, including me, think is worth a call up. Turcotte seems to be getting judged differently purely due to his draft position. Once these guys are signed the draft position no longer matters in terms of how they are developed. Turcotte has got better as the season has progressed and the most important thing for him is to stay healthy.

I'm with you generally but I think he should. I agree with @Herby that you're not drafting the guy at 5 to give you anything less than top-6 offense. I just disagree with him on where Turcotte will end up.

I just think it's too early to say he can't--kind of oddly at the pro level, at this point, even as he's improving, he seems a little more 'raw' than I thought he'd be at this point--but I see it as a good thing because I still believe in a sky high Toews/Richards like ceiling where he's giving us 60 points and play all over the ice. You can see the ferocity and the pace, when he also has the confidence and the man strength, he's gonna be electric.

 

[Yog S'loth]

Uh huh.

I'm still waiting for Jared Aulin to break out, too. He just needs some confidence and to get over those injuries that slowed him down.

 

[Statto]

I'm with you generally but I think he should. I agree with @Herby that you're not drafting the guy at 5 to give you anything less than top-6 offense. I just disagree with him on where Turcotte will end up.

I just think it's too early to say he can't--kind of oddly at the pro level, at this point, even as he's improving, he seems a little more 'raw' than I thought he'd be at this point--but I see it as a good thing because I still believe in a sky high Toews/Richards like ceiling where he's giving us 60 points and play all over the ice. You can see the ferocity and the pace, when he also has the confidence and the man strength, he's gonna be electric.

I agree. What I have tried to say, badly, is that he seems to be getting a much tougher assessment on his game to game performance than everyone else. I agree that we want him to be a top 6 player but there seems to be a reluctance for people to acknowledge that he has started to put it together. A good performance is a good performance but because he is a 5th overall pick and expectations mean many want him to be NHL ready now he doesn’t get credit for good games at the AHL level. By all means in a few years we can debate if he was worth the 5th overall pick, but it’s basically now a meaningless number when assessing his game performance and if/when he is ready for a call up. The same as any player. I’m still articulating it badly, but I hope I’m getting across what I mean.

Like you I agree that he’s still raw but the talent is there and he’s still so young. That ceiling is still attainable but in part due to injuries it’s taking a little longer than we’d hoped.

 

[Mattias]

Uh huh.

I'm still waiting for Jared Aulin to break out, too. He just needs some confidence and to get over those injuries that slowed him down.

We took an English course together at Norkam secondary school in Kamloops. Really nice guy. He broke out by dating Paris Hilton for a brief time.

 

[Steve Zissou]

Updates on Chromiak and Madden:



— Kings prospect Martin Chromiak (2020 NHL Draft pick), who recently signed an AHL contract, did clear quarantine and is with the Reign on this trip. From what we’re told, he showed up in phenomenal shape and looks ready to go. However, it remains to be seen if he will draw into a game on this trip.

— Highly regarded LA prospect Tyler Madden remains out indefinitely due to this hit, with no timetable available yet regarding when he’ll resume skating. However, in checking in with various sources, Madden is said to be doing much better of late. In fact, there is even some cautious optimism that he may even be ready to jump back in for a game or two next month. At the very least, there is now some encouraging news regarding the 21-year-old rookie forward.

 

[Ray Martyniuk]

Anaheim broadcastors were talking about Simon Benoit, OMFG

 

[Ray Martyniuk]

I still think LA wanted Byram or Dach that draft.

I remember flipping so often on it myself.

Mostly was Caufield, Turcotte, and Zegras.

Cozens wasn’t on many lips at 5. Even Caufield was a huge size caveat.

I was completely happy with Turcotte.

I still think he will be a good player for LA.

I didn't care who LA chose just not Dach or Cozens

 

[Steve Zissou]

This kid leads The Reign in points. Should have been taken in the 1st round.

At the end of the season he'll have to go back to Hamilton Bulldogs...?

Are you kidding me!?

This kid just puts up points wherever he goes. But even his defensive game has come a long way as well.

“Arty has bought in completely on the idea of being a 200-foot player,” Wroblewski noted on Sunday after the Reign’s 4-2 loss. “And he’s one of our more reliable players. In our defensive system, he’s still got some things to work on and our neutral-zone defense, and that’s a fine art. I think not many players have played in a 1-3-1 before.”

 

[regulate]

This kid leads The Reign in points. Should have been taken in the 1st round.

At the end of the season he'll have to go back to Hamilton Bulldogs...?

Are you kidding me!?

This kid just puts up points wherever he goes. But even his defensive game has come a long way as well.

“Arty has bought in completely on the idea of being a 200-foot player,” Wroblewski noted on Sunday after the Reign’s 4-2 loss. “And he’s one of our more reliable players. In our defensive system, he’s still got some things to work on and our neutral-zone defense, and that’s a fine art. I think not many players have played in a 1-3-1 before.”

Not sure where you got the OHL Hamilton information but that's incorrect. His junior career is over when the AHL season ends next month.

 

[Herby]

He does a lot of the little things well. His offense hasn't been there, but he brings energy, shifty defense, and I still see that "it" factor.

He's having a tough rookie season though, no doubt. He's skating hard but it's not showing up on the score sheet. Most kids don't light up the AHL at 19

The last part is not true at all, the rest of the 2019 1st rounders in the AHL this year.

Zegras - 10-11-21 in 17 GP
Boldy - 3-6-9 in 7 GP
York - 1-2-3 in 4 GP
Caufield 3-1-4 in 2 GP
Newhook 3-4-7 in 6 GP
Krebs 1-4-5 in 5 GP
Tomasino 9-14-23 in 21GP
McMichael 10-7-17 in 25GP
Foote 6-10-16 in 20 GP

I'm still very worried about the lack of production compared to his peers from that same draft, especially considering he was taken above all of these guys. The four players directly taken above him are NHL players and Seider, Cozens and Zegras all taken right after are farther a long as well, Seider isn't in the NHL because of Covid. We can re-hash that debate for another time, but the AHL has not been a challenging league for many of those 2019 kids to produce so far, this is the worst the AHL has ever been because of the taxi squads, it will be a much more challenging league next year assuming there isn't a taxi squad again.

 

[King'sPawn]

This kid leads The Reign in points. Should have been taken in the 1st round.

At the end of the season he'll have to go back to Hamilton Bulldogs...?

Are you kidding me!?

This kid just puts up points wherever he goes. But even his defensive game has come a long way as well.

“Arty has bought in completely on the idea of being a 200-foot player,” Wroblewski noted on Sunday after the Reign’s 4-2 loss. “And he’s one of our more reliable players. In our defensive system, he’s still got some things to work on and our neutral-zone defense, and that’s a fine art. I think not many players have played in a 1-3-1 before.”

He turns 20 in June. He's eligible for the AHL next year.

 

[kilowatt]

The last part is not true at all, the rest of the 2019 1st rounders in the AHL this year.

Zegras - 10-11-21 in 17 GP
Boldy - 3-6-9 in 7 GP
York - 1-2-3 in 4 GP
Caufield 3-1-4 in 2 GP
Newhook 3-4-7 in 6 GP
Krebs 1-4-5 in 5 GP
Tomasino 9-14-23 in 21GP
McMichael 10-7-17 in 25GP
Foote 6-10-16 in 20 GP

I'm still very worried about the lack of production compared to his peers from that same draft, especially considering he was taken above all of these guys. The four players directly taken above him are NHL players and Seider, Cozens and Zegras all taken right after are farther a long as well, Seider isn't in the NHL because of Covid. We can re-hash that debate for another time, but the AHL has not been a challenging league for many of those 2019 kids to produce so far, this is the worst the AHL has ever been because of the taxi squads, it will be a much more challenging league next year assuming there isn't a taxi squad again.

If we were to re-draft 2019 knowing what we know today, I agree that Turcotte would not be drafted at 5. That doesn't mean there isn't time for him to improve though, and next year things might look different. Some players mature faster than others. That's not meant to give him a pass or anything, many of his peers from his draft are having more success than he is, no question about it. But he's still only 19. He showed how valuable he can be at the WJC. Like I've said all year, I'm willing to give everyone the benefit of the doubt this season. I see things that I like when Turcotte plays and I see things I don't like, but he's a hard worker and I hope he continues to get better.

 

[Statto]

If we were to re-draft 2019 knowing what we know today, I agree that Turcotte would not be drafted at 5. That doesn't mean there isn't time for him to improve though, and next year things might look different. Some players mature faster than others. That's not meant to give him a pass or anything, many of his peers from his draft are having more success than he is, no question about it. But he's still only 19. He showed how valuable he can be at the WJC. Like I've said all year, I'm willing to give everyone the benefit of the doubt this season. I see things that I like when Turcotte plays and I see things I don't like, but he's a hard worker and I hope he continues to get better.

The time to start assessing the draft class is when these guys are in their mid 20’s. As you say they all develop at different rates and a couple of injuries can slow down the process quite considerably in terms of when guys are NHL ready. It’s funny how people used the WJC to bash Byfield and at the same time people say Turcottes WJC didn’t matter...

I look at Byfields AHL start and everyone was panicking, then last night he was one of our better players in his AHL debut. Turcotte since coming back from injury has looked decent but has played 4 fewer AHL games than QB and that’s a lot of hockey for guys that took a little time to adjust to the pro game. The whole roster in Ontario took a long time to get going so that context has to be considered when looking at the individual performance of players. He’s also been playing wing which is an additional adjustment for him to make.

Thats not to say I’d have like to have seen him stay fit and have played a few NHL games by now (I’m thinking he will get a cup of coffee before the year is out). However, I’m happy to look at the big picture and not be overly concerned at this point. Next season though he needs to be either on the opening night NHL roster or at the very least be the first call up from Ontario. I’m betting on the former....

 

[Fat Elvis]

The Reign sure seem to have better results with Moverare in the lineup. Kid is a couple of months younger than Clague. Curious how he would look in NHL games.

Question for those who've watched multiple games. Is his skating that big of a concern?

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Not even going to dive into the Turcotte pinata'ing again, there's nothing really left to say for this year for the opinions that have formed. As expected, he and Byfield could put it together and start going PPG (which they had) and critics will still say "well look at the big picture" because they started slow on their first year in a pro league in a new coach, covid year, crap team and be unable to admit improvement. It is what it is.

Moverare, though--anyone feel he might get a callup? Dude just cannot stop putting up points with simple effective plays

 

[regulate]

The Reign sure seem to have better results with Moverare in the lineup. Kid is a couple of months younger than Clague. Curious how he would look in NHL games.

Question for those who've watched multiple games. Is his skating that big of a concern?

His skating is going to be a concern, he may be able to overcome most of it with his smarts. It's probably close to Ollie Maatta speed (which is below NHL average). He does have good lateral movement with the puck which opens up shooting lanes. Not sure if they will use a call up on him, but he probably will be pretty competitive for that 6-7th D man roster spot if there is some movement with our lessor D men in the off-season (MacDermid, Maatta, Clague). Needs to get stronger too. His pro experience in Europe shows, I think he's the best D man in ONT right now among the prospects.

 

[Fat Elvis]

Not even going to dive into the Turcotte pinata'ing again, there's nothing really left to say for this year for the opinions that have formed. As expected, he and Byfield could put it together and start going PPG (which they had) and critics will still say "well look at the big picture" because they started slow on their first year in a pro league in a new coach, covid year, crap team and be unable to admit improvement. It is what it is.

Moverare, though--anyone feel he might get a callup? Dude just cannot stop putting up points with simple effective plays

Doubt they use one of their remaining callups this year for Moverare, unless there's an injury. Guessing they use the callups on other young forwards (Arty, Turc, Kupari or Thomas). But I guess wrong all the time. I sure would like to see what he can do at the NHL level.