Ontario Reign 20-21

[ScoreZeGoals]

Kid forwards are doing what was expected, flashing at points and struggling while playing against men at other times.

The defense is a mess. The Reign are in the black hole of Kings defensive prospects, the good ones are either in L.A. due to injuries or are not eligible for the AHL, so they are rolling with scraps. I wouldn't expect the defense to get too much better with these players.

The goaltending is awful

 

[ru4reals]

Kid forwards are doing what was expected, flashing at points and struggling while playing against men at other times.

The defense is a mess. The Reign are in the black hole of Kings defensive prospects, the good ones are either in L.A. due to injuries or are not eligible for the AHL, so they are rolling with scraps. I wouldn't expect the defense to get too much better with these players.

The goaltending is awful

The winning goal last night was just brutal. Alt with a horrific pinch then Phillips who's possibly the worst kings D prospect (okay yes he's still young but so is Bjornfot) defended it like no one's ever seen before. Let the guy toe dragged by him like he was a pylon at a street corner. Pretty comical but it'll get better I think. Just good to see all these top prospects on three freakin lines together in one game still really cool to see. Enjoy it while it lasts.

 

[BringTheReign]

I didn't get to see the game but minus the shitty goaltending and the shuffling of D between clubs, this is exactly what we should have expected from the Reign, no? Loads of talent, but loads of talent playing pros vs. men in NA for the first time and the first time together. Zero chemistry and precious little pro experience is a big deal, have no doubts it's all gonna click.

I think the thing that got everyone's hopes up is that they looked more cohesive in their preseason games. You're right in that they now look as we expected they might in showing the green behind their ears. The talent is still there, but their team play is much sloppier. Now, to continue beating the dead horse, their defense in the preseason also had:

Bjornfot - Strand
Brickley - Durzi
Moverare - Hults
*Phillips, Sedak, Gaunce

vs. now:

Brickley – Durzi
Phillips – Alt
Gaunce – Sadek
*Hults (injured?)

So essentially they lost their top pair from preseason on top of losing their top pair from last season (Anderson - Clague) AND as a result everyone else is slotted at least one rung higher than they should be. I still expect a lot from Durzi and Brickley as I believe both have the potential to develop into NHL players, but the rest of the top 4 as they've rolled out in games 1-4 is rough.

 

[yankeeking]

That two on one that durzi defended he somehow turned it into a 2 on none by sliding out of the play and then watched them go by , was some of the worst defense I can remember seeing , and that says a lot with alt on the team

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Madden bruh. Seriously. Best player on the ice.

Byfield came on very strong in the 3rd. Confidence is so key for him because the raw tools are silly.

But Madden. Woah boy.

Would be funny to have all this hype on all our other prospects...and the best of the bunch ends up being a 3rd rounder that we were allegedly going after but end up having to trade for. But I can see it. Dude is an absolute savant.

 

[cyclones22]

Would be funny to have all this hype on all our other prospects...and the best of the bunch ends up being a 3rd rounder that we were allegedly going after but end up having to trade for. But I can see it. Dude is an absolute savant.

You cannot underestimate that NHL player pedigree. The type of training and and exposure that he got from professionals growing up. You can just tell that he thinks the game at a higher level.

 

[regulate]

That two on one that durzi defended he somehow turned it into a 2 on none by sliding out of the play and then watched them go by , was some of the worst defense I can remember seeing , and that says a lot with alt on the team

That was Phillips, #26, not Durzi, #6.

 

[Ray Martyniuk]

I didn't get to see the game but minus the shitty goaltending and the shuffling of D between clubs, this is exactly what we should have expected from the Reign, no? Loads of talent, but loads of talent playing pros vs. men in NA for the first time and the first time together. Zero chemistry and precious little pro experience is a big deal, have no doubts it's all gonna click.

Hoping the kids turn the corner soon

 

[tbrown33]

That two on one that durzi defended he somehow turned it into a 2 on none by sliding out of the play and then watched them go by , was some of the worst defense I can remember seeing , and that says a lot with alt on the team

Gaunce: “HOLD MY BEER”

 

[funky]

I haven’t saw the last few games. Just a few quick question s? I

am very happy to hear that Madden looks good. Sounds like he has some great skill. How does he look size wise? Is it still an issue or is it a non issue.

Does Turcotte look to have top 6 skills, offensive ability or are we going to have a great third line scrappy guy that can score a bit? Who would he look good paired with other that Arty?

Does Kupari still have his elite wheels or did his injury rib him of some speed? How’s his shot look?



thanks guys. Hopefully I can start tuning into games again next week.

 

[cyclones22]

Size isn't going to be an issue for Madden. He's got skill and he's not afraid to get into traffic and at least on this level doesn't appear to be knocked off the puck easily.

Absolutely Turcotte has top-6 skill. At the very least. He had some pretty good dangles last night on a zone entry to go with his + speed. Made some nifty passes. He is feisty as hell too. Hopefully injuries won't be an issue playing the game that he does.

Kupari still has the wheels. He looks like he's playing a pretty good team game too. Unfortunately most of his shots end up in the chest of the goaltender at this point. He reminds me of Adrian Kempe actually.

 

[kilowatt]

Phillips and Gaunce are replacement-level AHL players. Alt has value for an AHL team, especially with leadership, but he's not a great hockey player. Second pair at best in the AHL.

I haven’t saw the last few games. Just a few quick question s? I

am very happy to hear that Madden looks good. Sounds like he has some great skill. How does he look size wise? Is it still an issue or is it a non issue.

Total non-issue. He looks good. He's still a bit on the smaller side, but he's holding his own just fine. He looks so good.

Does Turcotte look to have top 6 skills, offensive ability or are we going to have a great third line scrappy guy that can score a bit? Who would he look good paired with other that Arty?

He definitely has top six skills. I would be really surprised if he topped out as a third-line center.

Does Kupari still have his elite wheels or did his injury rib him of some speed? How’s his shot look?

Besides Madden, the player I've been most impressed with is Kupari. He's asserted himself in every game I've seen. He's still very fast, but more importantly, he's extremely poised with the puck. I was low on him the past couple years, but I think he's back in the discussion for one of our top five prospects.

 

[cyclones22]

Kupari has definitely been one of the forgotten prospects even though he's a first-rounder. I think last season he was guilty of trying to do too much with the puck and turning it over while not utilizing his teammates as well. But I'm not seeing a lot of signs of that this season. He is one of the type of players who can circle around the entire offensive zone with the puck because of his hands and skating ability.

 

[BigKing]

Kupari has Kempe-level finishing skills, unfortunately.

Looks like an NHL player though.

 

[ScoreZeGoals]

I said this during his time on the Kings, but Alt is an AHL #7 defenseman. It's bad enough he's getting ice time on the Reign, I can't believe he actually saw the ice in a Kings sweater

I had some hope for Phillips when he unexpectedly made the Canadian World junior club a couple years ago, but he looks totally clueless out there

 

[Docgonzo]

Didn’t see last nights game but from the 4 I’ve seen so far this season. The skill at forward is there, just need to be patient and wait for chemistry, confidence and adapting to new Coach/League/Team.

Turcotte looks good, he seems to be really good carrying the puck into zone and distributing. He’s coming back from injury so like the WJC I give him a feel more games before he starts clicking.

One thing I do have to say is temper your expectations on when these kids will play in the NHL because they all need to get stronger. Seen a lot of them get pushed around on face off lock ups, against the boards etc.

 

[DoktorJeep]

It feels like a let down to watch the team lose with all the kids playing big roles at forward. But the win loss record means very little in the short term, even during a normal season. Development is the name of the game and this is what it looks like in real time.

We’re lucky. The last time the AHL squad was stocked with prospects during the 2004 lockout, there was no way to watch the team if you weren’t in Wuster Mass. This situation is truly a rare set of circumstances whereby this collection of talent can play under the same roof together and right next to the big squad.

That makes me hopeful that an extra number of these prospects graduate to the nhl level and not your typical 20%.

 

[Sparky206]

Madden is crazy good, somewhere in the 3rd he showed the defenceman that he was going to go around the outside just past the blue line, two strides later hes on the inside between the circles in on goal while the defenceman was still facing the boards wondering where the hell he went!

 

[All The Kings Men]

The Poehling twins have been assigned to the Greenville Swamp Rabbits of the ECHL.

Infer from that what you will.

 

[yankeeking]

Kupari still has the wheels but is back to doing too much by himself ,if they can break him of that the skill and speed is still there
Madden looks a little thin still but not where he won’t put on adult weight naturally

 

[kilowatt]

The Poehling twins have been assigned to the Greenville Swamp Rabbits of the ECHL.

Infer from that what you will.

The Kings only have seven waiver-exempt skaters: Vilardi, JAD, Anderson, Clague, Bjornfot, Andersson, Strand. When Lizotte, Athanasiou, Roy, and Walker come back for the Kings, who all gets sent down? JAD and Vilardi are looking good. Clague, Bjornfot, and Anderson comprise 3/4 of the Kings' top four. Strand has been really impressive. I would imagine Strand and Bjornfot are the first to get sent back down, but man, they've played well.

 

[All The Kings Men]

The Kings only have seven waiver-exempt skaters: Vilardi, JAD, Anderson, Clague, Bjornfot, Andersson, Strand. When Lizotte, Athanasiou, Roy, and Walker come back for the Kings, who all gets sent down? JAD and Vilardi are looking good. Clague, Bjornfot, and Anderson comprise 3/4 of the Kings' top four. Strand has been really impressive. I would imagine Strand and Bjornfot are the first to get sent back down, but man, they've played well.

I'm assuming Frk gets placed on IR to release some of the pressure... but I'm also assuming there are some other moves that may be....... unexpected.

To be clear this is based on me staring at the roster and thinking about how they've played. This is not based on any conversations I've had with anyone that knows anything.

 

[BringTheReign]

Clague, Bjornfot, and Anderson comprise 3/4 of the Kings' top four. Strand has been really impressive. I would imagine Strand and Bjornfot are the first to get sent back down, but man, they've played well.

I want to see Bjornfot and Strand go down and stabilize the Reign. If they get there, step back in as the top pairing, and crush their minutes and thus facilitate the team's potential on offense, that'll only give them more confidence the next they get a crack at the Kings roster.

 

[Mats26]

I think it wouldn't be a bad idea to send Vilardi down for a few games. He dosen't seem to click with anyone on the current roster. His chemistry with Frk came from playing with him on the farm so why not try him with Madden and Kaliyev and get Wrobo to change his mindset. It's not a demotion but just a reset so he is in the right frame of mind when he gets called up again.

For the Kings they can roll Kopitar-Lizotte-JAD-Andersson up the middle.

For the Reign:

Madden Vilardi Kaliyev
Turcotte Byfeild Thomas
Essimotte Kupari Fagemo
Boko\Byron Sutter Dudas

It might also help to get Turc and Arty on the scoresheet.

 

[Vino]

Does anybody know how serious Moverare's injury is? It was 2nd game vs. Henderson 1st period, when he was injured (hand or shoulder).

In my mind he was Ontario's best (steadiest) dman against Gulls (preseason) and Henderson (1st game). They really miss him.