Ontario Reign 2017/2018

[Reaper45]

That explains Gravel's regression. No wonder he looked so disappointing.

What's his excuse now? He's a team worst -5 in 5 games. He's just not that good I'd say.

 

[regulate]

Bickell and the Gulls are the biggest goons in the AHL by far. If Bickell isn't suspended for 20 games or more, something is wrong. Something wrong in the head with that guy. And Sabourin pushes the official at the end.

 

[regulate]

What's his excuse now? He's a team worst -5 in 5 games. He's just not that good I'd say.

Have you watched any or all of the games? I have. Every one, either in person or on AHL live. The team is a mess. No doubt. But Gravel's play, while not stellar every night, has not been as bad as those numbers indicate. Gravel did have a puck get away from him on the PP tonight at the point which cost the team a goal on a nice play by CLE, and I can think of one other miscue which was obvious this year that cost the team. He also scored on a nice PP snipe into the upper left hand corner tonight. The problem is you have two 3rd year pros in Lintuniemi and Leslie who are just not very good, to flat out lousy, especially Leslie. He was directly responsible for three goals against tonight in my opinion. Gravel and LaDue are solid, but you have no AHL vets on D (losing LoVerde and Schilling is really hurting this team), and the other 3 players, Roy, Walker and Falkovsky are all rookies. And with the forwards not scoring, the D is having to gamble in the 2nd half of games to try and force the play to catch up on the scoreboard. There are a lot of reasons this team is struggling for sure, but Gravel is far from the issue.

 

[Fishhead]

While Gravel probably isn't a main issue, he's not showing he's good enough to make a difference on his own, which NHL level defensmen should be able to do in the AHL. He should be visibly better than his peers out there. Hopefully it's an effect of the issue he had over the summer. The expectation for LaDue and Gravel isn't to be solid in the AHL, but to be at least somewhat dominant.

When Muzzin got sent down after his initial stint, the got 18 points in 45 games and was a +20. He followed it up with another solid year. When Martinez was sent back down he got 16 points in 20 games and forced his way back up. That's what we need to see from Gravel and LaDue. LaDue appears to be on the right track, but I don't see that from Gravel right now.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

to be fair, you don't see that from ANYONE On the Reign right now, it's hard to evaluate when you're getting smoked nightly. Let them win a few games.

 

[Fat Elvis]

How's Watson looked?

Would like to see the offense start coming from the kid.

 

[regulate]

How's Watson looked?

Would like to see the offense start coming from the kid.

Disappointing so far. In the preseason there were some flashes of skill, particularly in a 3v3 OT, plus a beautiful shootout goal, but he has been pretty invisible during the games. It's not just the bigger bodies either. His skating speed and compete level are disappointing to this point. I knew he wasn't particularly fast, but thought he could hold his a bit more. I thought his skill game, particularly in close (never seemed to have problem in the past going to the net) would translate better, but he has not yet adjusted to the higher skill level in the pros to utilize those skilled hands of his. It's hard on junior players to make the transition, it takes time. Luff hasn't exactly been lighting the lamp either, and Imama is a defensive and turnover disaster so far. A big part of the team struggle has been the new kids not quite adjusting to contribute. I do like Walker on D, although he is undersized, he's a pretty good little player. Maillet too. Unfortunately neither of the players are Kings prospects, but have stood out among the new players so far (Maillet did join the team late last year and got some experience).

 

[Vino]

Luff hasn't exactly been lighting the lamp either, and Imama is a defensive and turnover disaster so far.

How about Luff's physical and defensive play? Is he any good along walls, front of the net? Is he willing and able take a hit?

 

[KingCanadain1976]

Is anyone ready to be called up? Hoping for a rw for the 4th line so we can sit dowd and /aa

 

[regulate]

The only players on the Reign that could play in the NHL at this point are Brodzinski, LaDue, Mersch and Gravel. Brodz needs to get his mojo back and put up some numbers before I would consider a recall short of an injury bug hitting the Kings. Mersch is the leading scorer right now with 6 points in 7 games. I'd take him any day over Andreoff, at least he has a chance to put up some points, and his net front presence seems to be back this year (that is where are his goals have been from). Yeah, he's slow, blah blah. WE KNOW! LaDue has played better than Gravel so far, but both are capable. I don't see Auger ever going back. He's just not that good. Campbell of course if we need a goalie. No other Kings prospect is even remotely ready.

 

[HookKing]

The only players on the Reign that could play in the NHL at this point are Brodzinski, LaDue, Mersch and Gravel. Brodz needs to get his mojo back and put up some numbers before I would consider a recall short of an injury bug hitting the Kings. Mersch is the leading scorer right now with 6 points in 7 games. I'd take him any day over Andreoff, at least he has a chance to put up some points, and his net front presence seems to be back this year (that is where are his goals have been from). Yeah, he's slow, blah blah. WE KNOW! LaDue has played better than Gravel so far, but both are capable. I don't see Auger ever going back. He's just not that good. Campbell of course if we need a goalie. No other Kings prospect is even remotely ready.

Barring a ton of injuries we will not see Mersch on the Kings again. Fast and unskilled >>> slow and skilled. I think (hope?) AA will be gone when the missing Kings finally get healthy.

 

[Ollie Weeks]

Barring a ton of injuries we will not see Mersch on the Kings again. Fast and unskilled >>> slow and skilled. I think (hope?) AA will be gone when the missing Kings finally get healthy.

That myth is the biggest pile of garbage I’ve seen on this site. It just never goes away. Now the Oilers are getting called slow, and we’re faster. It means nothing.

Teams and players who play well look faster. Speed helps, but if you can’t do anything with it when you arrive, what’s the point?

Mersch probably won’t be back because he is SO slow, but it speaks to the rest of his game that he can’t overcome it.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

That myth is the biggest pile of garbage I’ve seen on this site. It just never goes away. Now the Oilers are getting called slow, and we’re faster. It means nothing.

Teams and players who play well look faster. Speed helps, but if you can’t do anything with it when you arrive, what’s the point?

Mersch probably won’t be back because he is SO slow, but it speaks to the rest of his game that he can’t overcome it.

I feel bad because I'm rooting for him, but I just dont' see him making it anymore. You can get over being slow of foot: see Pat Maroon. But Mersch just didn't show anything at the NHL level this year--he wasn't great on the boards, he wasn't getting to spots in a reasonable amount of time, he wasn't doing anything with the puck--and his 'skill', which is being amazing below the circles and in front of the net, wasn't enough to overcome any of that. I don't' want to say he's a lost cause and I'd love to see him get one last shot, especially because he's such a good teammate, but my hopefulness for him is fading fast.

 

[HookKing]

That myth is the biggest pile of garbage I’ve seen on this site. It just never goes away. Now the Oilers are getting called slow, and we’re faster. It means nothing.

Teams and players who play well look faster. Speed helps, but if you can’t do anything with it when you arrive, what’s the point?

Mersch probably won’t be back because he is SO slow, but it speaks to the rest of his game that he can’t overcome it.

Speed is huge right now. Not sure what the hell you've been watching.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Speed is huge right now. Not sure what the hell you've been watching.

I think he's addressing the myth that generally raw skating = playing speed. The puck moves faster than any player can; if you're playing well, you look fast. Hence, the 2014 Kings looked like greased lightning while the 2015 Kings were skating in mud with few real personnel changes.

For example, Toffoli is slow (or below average at best), yet he's almost always in the right spots. Mersch might be slower, but also is never where the puck is going. That's the actual problem.

 

[regulate]

Brodzinski with the hat trick tonight, his first 3 goals of the season, and Matt Luff scored his first pro goal in a 4-2 victory over San Jose. Brodz looked like his old self tonight, some pep in his step, one touch pass break outs, and scored 3 goals (one and empty netter), could have had a few more. Hensick finally played well too.

 

[Fishhead]

The 2012 Kings played some of the fastest hockey I've seen in ages during the playoffs. And individually, that was one slow-ass team. They controlled gaps, gave you no room, took the puck, then moved it quickly.

Like RJ said, Mersch isn't particularly good at those things. He was largely looked on as Dwight Kings replacement, but he was nowhere near what King was. DK was a 30 point player there for a while, the odds of Mersch sniffing those numbers are extremely low. King was slow and lumbering most of the time, but he also had above average smarts. He rarely made mistakes, was always in position, and he was able to make a good living off that. The guy was misplayed by his coach, but was an excellent 3rd line checker who could chip in points.

Mersch looked like he was heading that way, but he never really took that next step and significantly improved his play away from the net and away from the puck.

 

[Rekingsfan17]

Helene Elliott LA Times Contact Reporter wrote;
November 1, 2017, 5:05 PM

"Injury update;
Winger Marian Gaborik (knee surgery in April) has resumed skating. “We’re hopeful in the next little while he’ll start being integrated back into practice,” Stevens said. Gaborik had skated before but backed off. … Left wing Kyle Clifford (upper-body injury) has been working out. “He’s still a ways away but he’s definitely getting better,” Stevens said. …
First-round draft pick Gabriel Vilardi skated Wednesday in full gear for the first time since a back sprain sidelined him.
Prospect Austin Wagner (shoulder surgery) is scheduled to join Ontario of the American Hockey League and join non contact drills."


Hell's Yes !!!! .....maybe help is on the way! At least Wagner..... Vilardi would go back to Windsor wouldn't he.....?

 

[Fishhead]

Yea Vilardi is all or none. He'll be going down for sure to rehab and get loads of ice time. He's very young, only 17 at the draft.

 

[regulate]

Interesting that they may keep Wagner around. That is a 180 turn from what Futa said just a couple weeks ago. I wonder if it is the lack of depth on the ONT roster that is pushing the thought process.

 

[Rekingsfan17]

Scoop from Stutts: Reign Young Guns Anxious for SoCal Series Introduction

Joey Zakrzewski @ReignInsider wrote;
November 3, 2017
Ontario Reign
The Ontario Reign kick off the SoCal Series against the San Diego Gulls tonight at 7:00 at Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, California and several of the Reign youngsters and Head Coach Mike Stothers are looking forward to diving into the heated rivalry.
Tonight is the first of 12 meetings between the two clubs and the two sides have met 38 times (including preseason and postseason) over the past two seasons. All-time, the Reign are 10-10-2-2 and last season, both teams held an identical 6-4-1-1 head-to-head record.

 

[regulate]

 

[regulate]

ONT REIGN 10 game update

It's difficult to get excited about a team that begins the season 0-6, an AHL club that looked a shell of it's former self. While roster turnover is inevitable in the "A", the lack of high draft picks in the organization during the waning years of the Lombardi reign (pun intended), coupled with a parent club looking for a youth infusion, certainly left the Reign fans scratching their heads early in the season, spoiled by the previous two years very competitive squads. A difficult road schedule to start the season didn't help a roster that began with 9 AHL rookies, a lack of professional experience that would plague the team early a lack of execution and turnovers in their own zone often turned into opponents goals. Coupled with the lack of any offensive depth and call ups to the big club, it appeared this team was destined to have year one would soon want to forget, and that is still a real possibility, however, there have a been a few bright spots in recent games, with a 4 game point streak that lead me to believe this team is at least turning the corner. Whether or not there will be enough depth in the D corp and offensive prowess to make this into a playoff team is quite another matter, and that just may depend on whether a healthy parent club sends some betters players back to Ontario (last year Purcell was a key addition to the squad and turned the team around), or if any players can be brought in via a trade (Latta for Schilling was a stabilizer for the ONT blue line last year).

LA Kings prospects

Trending up

Brodzinski The stalwart of the Reign offense the past year and a half, one thing you could count on was Brodzinski putting the puck in the net. There is little doubt he has an NHL level shot, top end potentially, but he rest of his game needs to be consistent, particularly his compete level and board play to reach the next level. Perhaps one of the biggest disappointments in his brief stint with the Kings to start the season, it was a wise move by management to bring him back to ONT to find his game. After another notoriously slow start, Brodzinski is heating up and now has 7 points in 7 GP with a +2 rating. His compete level has ramped up, and we are starting to see those little one touch passes on the breakouts that make him an effective line mate with Hensick and Mersch, the top line in ONT.

Mersch With 9 points in 10 games, Mersch was almost single-handedly trying to a least give the Reign a glimmer of hope, as he was the only player providing any offense at all to start the season. After an injury plagued campaign in 16-17, Mersch has begun to look like the player from the 15-16 season has started to reemerge, as he has been a constant threat in and around the net. Mersch has some deficiencies in his game that are well documented with this skating, so no need to rehash that other than to say its not just a speed issue, his balance, coordination and stamina need to improve to keep him on his skates and in an effective position to play well on both sides of the ice.

LaDue The most consistent blue liner to start the year after coming back from the Kings, LaDue has 5 points in 8 games including 2 goals, including the game tying goal last night. He has been noticeably more physical in front of the net, particularly on scrums. If he can continue to be strong on the boards and keep his D coverage consistent, he is likely to be the first call-up to the big club.

Petersen While his win-loss record doesn't reflect it at 1W and 3L, his 1.96 GAA and .927 sv% reveal Petersen has played a solid game in net as a rookie net minder for the Reign alternating with Campbell, but he has been a victim of goal support, which has been practically non-existent. Look for him to continue to have a solid campaign, he is very technically sound.

Holding their own

Luff Coming off a blazing hot preseason in both NHL and AHL contests, Luff made the club as a 20 year old instead of going back to his junior club. However, as the games started to count, like the rest of the newcomers, the compete level of the professional game became more evident and Luff struggled to get on the scoreboard, although it was not for a lack of a few golden scoring chances. Points are starting to come slowly, and he now has 4 pts in 10 games, including his 1st professional goal. He has a "heavy" accurate shot, which should start to translate more onto the scoreboard as he gets stronger and grows into his 6-3 frame. Luff has played a top six role the entire season to date.

Gravel Like most of his teammates, Gravel was trying to do to much to overcome that teams lack of experience as he made some uncharacteristic and costly turnovers to start the campaign. Paired with LaDue, the pair is a dynamic force that are playing a lot of heavy minutes on a blue line that lacks AHL veterans. He looks like he has recovered fully from his off-season illness that reportedly left him behind in his training to start camp this season, leading to a quick demotion to the AHL. He has become more consistent the last 5 games or so.

Campbell After leading the AHL in wins last season and having a stellar Kings camp, it would be understandable if Campbell was extremely disappointed coming back to the AHL. He has played solidly, but has made a few uncharacteristic plays like fumbling a soft shot last night that led to a goal from Jeff Schultz of all players. He has had to stand on his head a few times early in the season due to poor play in front of him. As the team improves, so should his numbers which currently stand at 2W 3L 1OT 2.86 GAA .907 sv%

Roy No doubt there have been some growing pains and miscues in Roy's game in his first full AHL season, but his physical play on the boards and quiet game with the puck should pay dividends down the road. There is an offense flair to the look of his game, but so far it has not translated onto the scoreboard. Paired with Leslie often leads to him having to help cover for his D partners mistakes which has hurt his plus/minus which stands at -3.

Trending down

Lintuniemi I suppose as a third year pro, I could have easily put Lintu into the holding their own category as his game seems to be rounding out a bit better, but judgments with the puck and turnovers are a frustrating part of his game that one would have hoped would be more limited. To be fair, he has a few decent games, mixed with some really poor efforts, but right now, I'm not too confident the NHL will be in his future.

Falkovsky A transplant from the ECHL, this 6-7, soon to be 22 year old behemoth from Belarus was signed by the Kings for defensive depth. At first when I saw him play in the preseason, I thought, "what are the Kings thinking", but he settled a bit in his 2nd preseason game and showed some offensive flair on the blue line with a hard, accurate shot on the PP. Like many new AHL d men, he is struggling with turnovers and breakouts and d zone coverage, leading him to be scratched in half of their games. He has no points and is -3 in 5 GP.

Watson For me personally, Watson has been the biggest eye-opener season-to-date on the difference between what a player shows he can do in juniors, and what happens when you play against men in a professional league. Undersized and under-strength, for players like Watson, typically you have to have another asset, speed and/or quickness. Unfortunately from what I have seen so far, Watson lacks the speed and quickness to enable him to be more effective with his primary asset, his hands. He doesn't seem to be able to get off strong shots within 20 feet of the net, despite his shot first mindset. Watson has shown he has some sick hands around around the net in juniors, and displayed those hand in a game winning goal in the shootout in preseason. Expected to be a top six play on RW for the Reign, he has been demoted to limited playing time as low as a 4th liner, has no points in 7 games, has has defensive lapses and subject to some poor turnovers coming out of the zone, and has been scratched for 3 games. He has a -4 rating.

Auger Kings fans who had never seen Justin Auger play got a bit excited in the preseason when they saw him play an outstanding game against several NHL players in a game vs the Ducks. But long-time followers of the Reign knew that this was an anomaly, for Auger's game has fallen considerably from his 15-16 campaign which showed some promise. Due to injuries, Auger got a quick two-game call up from the Kings before being scratched for a few, and although he did not embarrass himself (he held his own for the most part), his play displayed and issue he likely cannot overcome, his lack of quickness in his lumbering frame is just not going to translate well to the NHL. In 8 AHL contests as the 2nd and 3rd line RW, he has no points, a -4 rating and taken 4 minor penalties. I continue to hold the belief he is not an NHL player.

Leslie My disdain for Zach Leslie (nothing personal) has not changed. He is not good at defense. He is frequently overpowered along the boards, loses his positioning on the right side of the puck, and is consistently a minus player. He has some offensive tools, but turnovers and bad judgement plays rule the roost. The Kings game him a one-year deal after his ELC ran out, likely due to our lack of D depth in the minors, but I would be very surprised if that happens again. Leslie has no points in 8 games, is -4 and has been scratched twice for a rookie D-man.

Imama Didn't really know what to expect out of this player other than he plays physical and can drop the gloves. It's clear early on that the jump to the professional ranks has been a tough transition. While the effort is there (he works hard, skates well, hit everything in sight and takes himself out of position, think early Dustin Brown), his hockey IQ and carelessness with the puck and costly turnovers have been a hard lesson for this young man. He scored 41 goals in 66 games his last junior year, but it's clear so far that is not going to translate into the pro game. He started up higher on lines in the preseason and has worked his way down to the 4th line LW. He has no points in 9 games (1 scratch) and is -5 with 6 minor penalties.

Crescenzi A reliable defensive forward, PK man and face off specialist has struggled this season like in no season past that I have seen him play. Whether is it is adjusting to linemates that lack skill with the puck (Imama, Devane) or lapses in play, Crescenzi has made numerous poor choices with the puck and has been guilty of a significant amount of turnovers coming out of the zone. Some glimpses of improvement have occurred the last two games. His game does not translate to the NHL, he is just too slow, but he is an important cog in the Reign's wheel, he needs to be better.

Newcomers without NHL contracts

The Reign have two young undersized players that are excellent skaters and display an offensive flair and quickness. Philippe Maillet has played center and LW, is a constant offensive threat, and is getting top six minutes and PP time. While he only has 3 points to date, a little puck luck and that would be significantly higher. He wants an NHL contract. He'll have to put up numbers to get a look at 5-9 170, but he is a dynamic player. Another AHL rookie that has opened some eyes is Sean Walker. The right-handed D man and former Bowling Green captain (where Rob Blake played in college) has played all 10 games on the 3rd pairing RHD and holds his own. He is an excellent skater and competitor with good shot from the blue line, potting a couple of goals so far. He is also a 2nd pairing staple on the PP.

Other notes
I did not discuss Mike Amadio as he is now on the Kings and has clearly displayed to date he can play at the NHL level. Whether he comes back due to numbers on the NHL roster is another matter, but I have complete confidence that his game translates to the 3C level in the NHL. After slow starts, new captain AHL veteran Brett Sutter and Reign leading scorer TJ Hensick seem to finally be finding their games, which has helped propel the team into their current 4 game point scoring streak.

 

[Rekingsfan17]

Maybe someone on here can clarify something I read (can't remember where I read it so I could be making this up.....Lol). I read that first year pros more times than not take a good 20 games or so to catch-up to the speed of the game and get used to the strength of the other players. They have to make a lot quicker (and better) decisions...). With us having 9 first year pros in our line-up we might have a better idea of where we are at (talent/chemistry wise) after 20 games or so.....
Does that sound right.....?

 

[regulate]

Maybe someone on here can clarify something I read (can't remember where I read it so I could be making this up.....Lol). I read that first year pros more times than not take a good 20 games or so to catch-up to the speed of the game and get used to the strength of the other players. They have to make a lot quicker (and better) decisions...). With us having 9 first year pros in our line-up we might have a better idea of where we are at (talent/chemistry wise) after 20 games or so.....
Does that sound right.....?

That is certainly a fair assessment. Some guys will adjust, some will never make the grade. Most will never play in the NHL as a career. I have written a lot in the past year about how much Amadio improved from about the Christmas break last season all through the second half in his inaugural season. You could tell he had skill, but it took a while for him to blossom into a more complete and competitive player. If you are not physically mature at 20 when you come into this league, you can take a real beating, something that a lot of these kids are not used to so much in juniors. Even so, you can at least usually get a feeling whether or not a player has some potential after watching them for a short while. Is the compete level there? Is there a sense of hockey IQ? It doesn't take long for these questions to be answered. Brodzinski is another good example. In his rookie season he came close to scoring a dozen times (he was hitting every crossbar and post in sight). He wasn't getting results, but you could see the skill and compete level were there. Once they started going in, you knew you had a potential NHL level player.