Ottawa 67's 2021-22 Season Thread

[OMG67]

elite prospects and his Twitter Feb 15 saying that he is committed..

I looked on Elite Prospects before I made that post and it had nothing I could see that suggested he was NCAA committed. Usually they list the NCAA school and the year he would join them. There is nothing like that right now.

I also did an Internet search for Moldenhauer+University of Wisconsin and there was nothing. That means the school has not announced it.

 

[the dog]

Google his name you will find it

 

[OMG67]

Google his name you will find it

I did. Found nothing.

Do you have a link?

 

[Leviathan899]

According to the OHL website there are 26 players on the roster, of which 12 are rookies

Ontario Hockey League – Official Site of the Ontario Hockey League

I think you’ll see Gerrior play tier 2 and Dever as well.

 

[sirius67fan]

I think you’ll see Gerrior play tier 2 and Dever as well.

I doubt Gerrior signed as a 17 y.o. to play tier 2. Likely Dever, Gardiner and maybe Foster are sent down.

 

[beastintheeast]

There is a Pinterest account for a nick Moldenhauer that says my university Wisconsin. However, I am not sure it is THE MOLDENHAUER WE ARE TALKING ABOUT
Also, NCAA rules state that he can have a verbal which is the same as saying to the 67's I will come if you draft me.
Must be in his sophomore year at the earliest
They can not do anything until November

In all honesty, depending on what happens, I would not be surprised considering the number of players that Chicago sent to Michigan this year if there may not be a likelihood that he could end up there.

 

[sirius67fan]

There’s only so many young guys you can develop. You cannot develop them by putting them in situations they are incapable of handling. They have two players with 100+ games (Tolnai and Varga). If they were to trade Varga and Crete, they’d be left with:

Tolnai 108 games
Johnston 58 games
Beck 56 games
Robinson 45 games
Sirizzotti 9 games

You can’t simply just roll rookies out there and expect them to develop. The way you develop players is you put them in situations that challenge them but not to the point where it is constant failure. That serves absolutely zero purpose. If a player is always chasing the puck instead of playing with it, he’ll only get winded and need an extra Gatorade.

Each line needs a Centre that can play the required minutes with purpose. Then it needs one somewhat experienced winger that can anchor the line, whether that be defensively or offensively. They can line up a productive rookie with the line like they did last year with Beck. But, if they expect Laforme to centre a line with Stonehouse and Rohrer on the second line, it would more often be a mistake than a success.

If both Imports end up being players that can handle 18 effective minutes then maybe we can roll without a guy like Varga but keep in mind, Varga is exactly the type of player we need to kill penalties. He’ll be the fist guy over the boards for those situations.

In a normal year i would agree with you but keep in mind all the teams are in the same boat with two rookie classes. So except for a few contenders like Kingston, Barrie etc I expect a lower level of play this year so might be the perfect time to develop rookies. I think we can agree that Crete and Varga to use those two are good players in a specific role but are clearly not part of the future. If we have Tolnai and Gaidamack as top two centers with Beck, Johnston, Robinson we should be ok as our D and goaltending will be competitive. I say play the kids.

 

[PuckStop75]

In a normal year i would agree with you but keep in mind all the teams are in the same boat with two rookie classes. So except for a few contenders like Kingston, Barrie etc I expect a lower level of play this year so might be the perfect time to develop rookies. I think we can agree that Crete and Varga to use those two are good players in a specific role but are clearly not part of the future. If we have Tolnai and Gaidamack as top two centers with Beck, Johnston, Robinson we should be ok as our D and goaltending will be competitive. I say play the kids.

The young guys got the ice yesterday and held in there well against a very physical Petes team, it appeared to be the team the Petes will ice less McTavish if he returns. Good to see Tolnai get on the board early with a great pass from Gill-shane. With Belanger, Matier, Beck and Robinson out plus both imports the team will have a lot more to offer once things get rolling.
I missed Johnston he will be an important piece to this puzzle as well.

 

[OMG67]

In a normal year i would agree with you but keep in mind all the teams are in the same boat with two rookie classes. So except for a few contenders like Kingston, Barrie etc I expect a lower level of play this year so might be the perfect time to develop rookies. I think we can agree that Crete and Varga to use those two are good players in a specific role but are clearly not part of the future. If we have Tolnai and Gaidamack as top two centers with Beck, Johnston, Robinson we should be ok as our D and goaltending will be competitive. I say play the kids.

I can understand that logic.

Regardless, the team needs leadership and the value is in the more veteran guys helping the younger guys in more ways than just on the ice. If Varga is the type of player that helps a team in some of the more intangible ways off the ice and in the dressing room, I would suggest he remains. Varga has a lot of speed and can chase down pucks. He would help tremendously on the PK and take pressure off the other younger players.

If Varga were a bit of a jerk and not very well liked or respected by the other players, I would definitely suggest he be moved. But, if he is a respected player in the room and the other players can learn from him and his habits, his value would far outweigh developing an additional 16 year old that could come in next year and be better adjusted in the same manner as other players on recent teams (Costantini, Quinn, Sirizzotti, Gill-Shane etc).

I don’t want to just throw this season away on development. I would still like this team to do the best they can by keeping the momentum going. It won’t be a top tier team but there is significant value in home ice advantage int he playoffs and winning a round. That experience from a team perspective is far more valuable than the additional 16 year old getting more ice. I’m ok if they decide not to add two more OA’s but not if it means they are throwing the season away. Success breeds more success. We want to keep the winning attitude as much as possible. And, as you’ve stated, other than maybe Barrie and Kingston, this team is well suited to grab a top 4 seed. I didn’t think it was as possible when we thought Gaidamak wasn’t going to report. But, now that I can confidently say we have two capable centres with the odds of landing a 3rd capable centre from the candidates we have internally, I think our chances improve exponentially.

 

[PuckStop75]

I can understand that logic.

Regardless, the team needs leadership and the value is in the more veteran guys helping the younger guys in more ways than just on the ice. If Varga is the type of player that helps a team in some of the more intangible ways off the ice and in the dressing room, I would suggest he remains. Varga has a lot of speed and can chase down pucks. He would help tremendously on the PK and take pressure off the other younger players.

If Varga were a bit of a jerk and not very well liked or respected by the other players, I would definitely suggest he be moved. But, if he is a respected player in the room and the other players can learn from him and his habits, his value would far outweigh developing an additional 16 year old that could come in next year and be better adjusted in the same manner as other players on recent teams (Costantini, Quinn, Sirizzotti, Gill-Shane etc).

I don’t want to just throw this season away on development. I would still like this team to do the best they can by keeping the momentum going. It won’t be a top tier team but there is significant value in home ice advantage int he playoffs and winning a round. That experience from a team perspective is far more valuable than the additional 16 year old getting more ice. I’m ok if they decide not to add two more OA’s but not if it means they are throwing the season away. Success breeds more success. We want to keep the winning attitude as much as possible. And, as you’ve stated, other than maybe Barrie and Kingston, this team is well suited to grab a top 4 seed. I didn’t think it was as possible when we thought Gaidamak wasn’t going to report. But, now that I can confidently say we have two capable centres with the odds of landing a 3rd capable centre from the candidates we have internally, I think our chances improve exponentially.

I doubt this season becomes a throw away, that has never been the teams philosophy. Once the players who attend NHL camps return and the imports arrive we will get a much better sense of what the team will look like.
The extended preseason is a great opportunity to work with and develop the kids who would have otherwise been re-assigned in a normal camp and preseason format. As things sit right now, including the 2 imports and 3 goalies there are 28 players remaining, its usually cut down to 22-23 by now. 7 projected starters did not play in the game yesterday compared to 2 out of the Petes lineup; that's a clear demonstration of Ottawa's depth and a very different operating approach.

 

[beastintheeast]

I doubt this season becomes a throw away, that has never been the teams philosophy. Once the players who attend NHL camps return and the imports arrive we will get a much better sense of what the team will look like.
The extended preseason is a great opportunity to work with and develop the kids who would have otherwise been re-assigned in a normal camp and preseason format. As things sit right now, including the 2 imports and 3 goalies there are 28 players remaining, its usually cut down to 22-23 by now. 7 projected starters did not play in the game yesterday compared to 2 out of the Petes lineup; that's a clear demonstration of Ottawa's depth and a very different operating approach.

In past years the first line has all but been assured and only 1-3 players were playing to make the team.

This year I think Tolnai is the only vet that is assured of a place on the team Varga definitely has an inside track as well as Crete.

Sorry folks I am not sold on Robinson did not see enough of him.
The 3 goalies are needed at least until Cranley gets back from the rookie camp. here could also be a hell of a fight for that back up position.

Defence is done again we will lose 1 - 2 to the NHL so it is not a bad idea to give players ice time. We may see at least 1 D traded at the deadline.

 

[OMG67]

In past years the first line has all but been assured and only 1-3 players were playing to make the team.

This year I think Tolnai is the only vet that is assured of a place on the team Varga definitely has an inside track as well as Crete.

Sorry folks I am not sold on Robinson did not see enough of him.
The 3 goalies are needed at least until Cranley gets back from the rookie camp. here could also be a hell of a fight for that back up position.

Defence is done again we will lose 1 - 2 to the NHL so it is not a bad idea to give players ice time. We may see at least 1 D traded at the deadline.

Robinson will come down strictly to health. If he is healthy, I have faith he will make valuable contributions. I don’t think he will ever be what they hoped to acquire but I think if he stays healthy, he will give them a solid season in a top 6 role.

I don’t think there will be deadline deals on the defence side unless we are unexpected bottom feeders. I don’t think any of the guys would seriously fetch a significant return anyway, at least not if they contributed to the poor first half results.

If we look at OA options for next season, we will pick from:
1 - Cranley
2 - Belanger
3 - Costantini
4 - Tolnai
5 - Robinson
6 - Crete

Cranley is the only NHL Draft and with last year being a wash, it is likely he won’t make the jump next year to the AHL unless this season he shows to be a top 3 or 4 goalie in the league. So, it is likely we will be able to choose from all six of those guys. If that is the case, we could see a deadline move of one or two of these players if they find themselves playing on the bottom half of the roster.

If all of these players are available as OA’s I would imagine the three would be Cranley, Tolnai and Belanger. Things may change but as of now, I can’t see those guys not being the front runners to return as OA’s. So, do they thin out that crop now or do they run with it? I think they run with it regardless.

Potential roster:

Robinson - Tolnai - Varga
Beck - Gaidamak - Sirizzotti
Crete - Laforme - Rohrer
Johnston - Barlas - Stonehouse

Belanger - Matier
Sawyer - Gill-Shane
Sirman - Costantini

Cranley
Donoso

They will carry Mayich, Pinelli and Gerrior

Foster, Gardiner, and Smyth will be sent down and we will probably see them during the holiday break. MacKenzie is probably sent down for the full year unless there is an injury. Dever will likely be in the same boat as MacKenzie except he will be like the 5th underage that won’t be eligible to play until next year unless we have significant injuries that require all the extra bodies.

On paper, I really don’t have a problem with that lineup. It is young but as Sirius has said, so is much of the rest of the league. We won’t be able to seriously compete for the Conference or anything silly like that but I could see home ice advantage in round one.

 

[Leviathan899]

I doubt Gerrior signed as a 17 y.o. to play tier 2. Likely Dever, Gardiner and maybe Foster are sent down.

Good point, you’re likely correct I’d say. Forgot Gerrior was an 04.

 

[beastintheeast]

Robinson will come down strictly to health. If he is healthy, I have faith he will make valuable contributions. I don’t think he will ever be what they hoped to acquire but I think if he stays healthy, he will give them a solid season in a top 6 role.

I don’t think there will be deadline deals on the defence side unless we are unexpected bottom feeders. I don’t think any of the guys would seriously fetch a significant return anyway, at least not if they contributed to the poor first half results.

If we look at OA options for next season, we will pick from:
1 - Cranley
2 - Belanger
3 - Costantini
4 - Tolnai
5 - Robinson
6 - Crete

Cranley is the only NHL Draft and with last year being a wash, it is likely he won’t make the jump next year to the AHL unless this season he shows to be a top 3 or 4 goalie in the league. So, it is likely we will be able to choose from all six of those guys. If that is the case, we could see a deadline move of one or two of these players if they find themselves playing on the bottom half of the roster.

If all of these players are available as OA’s I would imagine the three would be Cranley, Tolnai and Belanger. Things may change but as of now, I can’t see those guys not being the front runners to return as OA’s. So, do they thin out that crop now or do they run with it? I think they run with it regardless.

Potential roster:

Robinson - Tolnai - Varga
Beck - Gaidamak - Sirizzotti
Crete - Laforme - Rohrer
Johnston - Barlas - Stonehouse

Belanger - Matier
Sawyer - Gill-Shane
Sirman - Costantini

Cranley
Donoso

They will carry Mayich, Pinelli and Gerrior

Foster, Gardiner, and Smyth will be sent down and we will probably see them during the holiday break. MacKenzie is probably sent down for the full year unless there is an injury. Dever will likely be in the same boat as MacKenzie except he will be like the 5th underage that won’t be eligible to play until next year unless we have significant injuries that require all the extra bodies.

On paper, I really don’t have a problem with that lineup. It is young but as Sirius has said, so is much of the rest of the league. We won’t be able to seriously compete for the Conference or anything silly like that but I could see home ice advantage in round one.

OMG
I agree that that as an October lineup this looks correct. I would expect that the second line will become the powerplay unit and possibly the top line.

However, I think by the end of October you could see Cameron rolling 2 and maybe 3 lines equal ice time.

Unless something changes the first line you have is more a shut down line than an offensive one.

 

[OMG67]

OMG
I agree that that as an October lineup this looks correct. I would expect that the second line will become the powerplay unit and possibly the top line.

However, I think by the end of October you could see Cameron rolling 2 and maybe 3 lines equal ice time.

Unless something changes the first line you have is more a shut down line than an offensive one.

I agree about the rolling three lines. I don’t think there will be a significant difference between the lines. Like you said, one of them may shadow the oppositions top line but it is likely we will see a balanced three line approach with the young rookie 4th line getting spot duty in reasonable situations in the offensive zone.

 

[Buttsy]

We won’t be able to seriously compete for the Conference or anything silly like that but I could see home ice advantage in round one.

Considering also the key loss of your Head Coach to the NHL this would be a solid result for the 67s. I feel like in the West London is in a similar situation, mid conference. I think also Mark Hunter will be a little less aggressive this year in big roster moves and laying a bit low wanting to see exactly what it is that he has in some promising looking young kids.

 

[OMG67]

Considering also the key loss of your Head Coach to the NHL this would be a solid result for the 67s. I feel like in the West London is in a similar situation, mid conference. I think also Mark Hunter will be a little less aggressive this year in big roster moves and laying a bit low wanting to see exactly what it is that he has in some promising looking young kids.

With the exception of a couple teams in each conference, I think that is pretty much the game plan. I think a lot of teams Managers are going to simply keep their heads down until at least end of November. I know most teams are hoping for the best but there is far too much uncertainty out there right now.

 

[PuckStop75]

With the exception of a couple teams in each conference, I think that is pretty much the game plan. I think a lot of teams Managers are going to simply keep their heads down until at least end of November. I know most teams are hoping for the best but there is far too much uncertainty out there right now.

If teams sit on their hands that long, there are a number of good OA's that can be scooped up on the cheap. You can bet your a$$ that London will be all over that, and hopefully Ottawa is also. Gaidamak changed the context of the conversation and adding a couple of OA's would push it even further.

 

[HockeyPops]

I am not convinced it will take that long. OHL experience is a rare commodity in the league right now, and GMs always look to bolster their rosters with OA experience even in the best of times. I suspect once one team makes a move for their OAs, the other teams will scramble to get their guy in short order too.

 

[OMG67]

If teams sit on their hands that long, there are a number of good OA's that can be scooped up on the cheap. You can bet your a$$ that London will be all over that, and hopefully Ottawa is also. Gaidamak changed the context of the conversation and adding a couple of OA's would push it even further.

I agree.

With respect to OA’s, that is always resolved in the early stages of the season. Teams will narrow down their OA’s to three and then look to find homes for the remainder. We need to also understand that there typically aren’t top six forwards and top 3 D-Men available as OA’s early in the season. Those are usually deadline deals.

All that said, it doesn’t mean teams won’t add if the price is right.

Where Ottawa fits into that, IMO, is the deadline Tupe deal. This would be similar to Ottawa adding Maksimovich and Chiodo. I doubt they would add a player like Varga now because the cost is a 5th rounder. It would need to be a significant impact player.

What I was mostly referring to were non-OA related 18-19 year old players etc.

 

[beastintheeast]

Ottawa would be stupid at this stage to look for or trade for players that are OA this year or are going to be OA next year.

This is a year where a lot of teams will be building. Ottawa may be best suited to be a team that plays a tough defensive 2-way style. We have the size to intimidate and hurt players on the defence.

I see Ottawa as a team that will make the playoffs and then give other teams hell.

I am going to watch Kingston because I can see them thinking that this is their year and doing silly trades. (Not that they have ever done that before)

67's moves will be dependent on players learning and working with Cameron and his style.

We really have I think depending a lot on Gaidamak 2 possibly 3 good lines.

I am not sold Tolnai, Robinson and Varga as a scoring line but can see them in a shutdown role.

Our second line is going to be the line that has a lot to prove and will be hustling. The potential is there for a goalscoring one although it will not be a huge offence.

This is a year where we depend on the defence playing hard and the forwards coming back to help and doing a lot of forechecking.

 

[OMG67]

Ottawa would be stupid at this stage to look for or trade for players that are OA this year or are going to be OA next year.

This is a year where a lot of teams will be building. Ottawa may be best suited to be a team that plays a tough defensive 2-way style. We have the size to intimidate and hurt players on the defence.

I see Ottawa as a team that will make the playoffs and then give other teams hell.

I am going to watch Kingston because I can see them thinking that this is their year and doing silly trades. (Not that they have ever done that before)

67's moves will be dependent on players learning and working with Cameron and his style.

We really have I think depending a lot on Gaidamak 2 possibly 3 good lines.

I am not sold Tolnai, Robinson and Varga as a scoring line but can see them in a shutdown role.

Our second line is going to be the line that has a lot to prove and will be hustling. The potential is there for a goalscoring one although it will not be a huge offence.

This is a year where we depend on the defence playing hard and the forwards coming back to help and doing a lot of forechecking.

I believe the scoring ability for this team will depend a lot on the defence. We don’t have much in the way of scoring or offensive ability generated from the defence on paper. None of the defence are obvious offensive threats, but Belanger and Sawyer have the capability to generate offence and move the puck. Matier may develop in that regard and although Gill-Shane seems to be more suited in a physical role, he can move the puck as well. So, the big IF is whether the defence can move the puck and help in the transition and allow any natural speed of the forwards to be utilized with zone exit passes and quick transitions. If the defence is a little slow with the puck, the pressure increases on the forwards and they’ll have a tougher time generating offence through the transition. They’ll have to dump and cycle off the boards.

 

[OMG67]

Just for some perspective, we are in a decent draft pick situation going forward. We don’t hav emu here in the way of extra picks.

2022 - two 2nds but no 3rds. The two 2nds are WSR and KGN who both look to be at or near the top of the standings so likely they will be late picks.
2023 - we don’t have a 2nd or 3rd round picks.
2024 - back to normal.

IT is good to note that we may get the compensation pick for Moldenhauer. I am not sure when the defected window closes or whether Ottawa will actually use that or whether they will retain his rights.

In a normal year where training camps take place the last week of August, the teams usually have a window between Sept 1 and 15 to declare and trade the defected player. I would assume we’d have a sense of what is going on by around the middle of this week.

 

[beastintheeast]

This may sound crazy but could Boyd be waiting to see if Moldenhauer actually makes the steel He played the first game as 4th line and did not dress for the second game.

USHL clubs must make necessary drops to get to their 25-man protected list by Sept. 20 at 12 PM CT

 

[OMG67]

This may sound crazy but could Boyd be waiting to see if Moldenhauer actually makes the steel He played the first game as 4th line and did not dress for the second game.

USHL clubs must make necessary drops to get to their 25-man protected list by Sept. 20 at 12 PM CT

He signed with Chicago. They are only in pre-season games right now so that doesn’t really mean much. I think everyone is reasonably certain he wills tick there this season. The question is more whether he will come back to the OHL next season.

That said, Boyd could roll the dice. I don’t see why he would. We’d get a high pick in compensation regardless of whether we can work out a trade. We’d get the 21st pick overall as compensation just by declaring him defected.

We could do a Lucas Lessio type compensation deal. He was traded for a 2nd and a conditional 15th. The conditional 15th turned into two additional 2nds if he played one year in the OHL and if he were to play two years in the OHL, the Ice Dogs would get an additional two 3rd’s and a 4th.

Lessio played JrB his first eligible year but reported to Oshawa the next year and played three seasons. So, Niagara ended up with three 2nd’s, two 3rd’s and a 4th plus the 1st round compensation pick.

Lessio was a pretty high pick at 7th so I don’t think Moldenhauer would garner that much of a package but if Ottawa were to build in conditional picks, then it mitigates the risk on the buyer side and gives Ottawa a chance to get more back in return than the compensation pick only.