Ottawa 67's 2023-2024 Off-Season Thread (Part 2)

[sirius67fan]

It is a pretty disappointing roster to be honest. No one stood out enough to sign. Unfortunate!

I doubt Michelone is actually with the team but he may be to start the exhibition season. I fully expect him gone by the time the seasons starts….unless there is something wrong with MacKenzie that is holding him back.

Yeah no surprises for sure. One thing that struck me is how small we are particularly at forward. But on closer look all the returning players are listed at the same height/ weight as last year. Can't believe some of these kids haven't grown a bit...what are they feeding them, the Bugs Bunny diet?

 

[OMG67]

Yeah no surprises for sure. One thing that struck me is how small we are particularly at forward. But on closer look all the returning players are listed at the same height/ weight as last year. Can't believe some of these kids haven't grown a bit...what are they feeding them, the Bugs Bunny diet?

Odds are pretty good that they haven’t updated dimensions on the site yet

 

[sirius67fan]

Odds are pretty good that they haven’t updated dimensions on the site yet

Yeah I know but they should make a bit of an effort to update it. They did the testing tuesday so they have the numbers. If I was a kid who worked my butt off to get bigger I'd kind of like to see it reflected, but hey jmo.

 

[OMG67]

Yeah I know but they should make a bit of an effort to update it. They did the testing tuesday so they have the numbers. If I was a kid who worked my butt off to get bigger I'd kind of like to see it reflected, but hey jmo.

 

[beastintheeast]

How is this for a line Hilton Houben Amidovski LOL

I think height-wise wise we are not bad we just need some of these guys to add a few pounds of muscle. Everyone except Pinelli is listed at 5'10 or better

I would like to know, looking at the roster age, if they are not using the OHL list. That might explain a delay.

Our challenge is not size as much as it is skill. It will be interesting to see how some of these guys play this year.

Anyway let the games begin

 

[dirty12]

How is this for a line Hilton Houben Amidovski LOL

I think height-wise wise we are not bad we just need some of these guys to add a few pounds of muscle. Everyone except Pinelli is listed at 5'10 or better

I would like to know, looking at the roster age, if they are not using the OHL list. That might explain a delay.

Our challenge is not size as much as it is skill. It will be interesting to see how some of these guys play this year.

Anyway let the games begin

The '67s are smaller than I thought. For comparison, see Erie; the regular line-up will have one at 5'8", one at 5'11", no one else less than 6'1".

 

[OMG67]

On defence, Sirman and Marrelli are the small ones but they probably play the biggest outside of Mayich. IT’s the forwards that are too small overall. Some of the smaller ones play big like Gerrior but you can only go so far with a team stacked with guys at 5’10” 170-175….

 

[beastintheeast]

On defence, Sirman and Marrelli are the small ones but they probably play the biggest outside of Mayich. IT’s the forwards that are too small overall. Some of the smaller ones play big like Gerrior but you can only go so far with a team stacked with guys at 5’10” 170-175….

Agreed but it falls into what you had talked about earlier. Boyd seems to draft players that are skilled but small hoping that they will grow up and get taller and bigger.

I still think his biggest problem is that he has no idea how to draft forwards. Amidovski may be a pleasant change as he has some size. We will have to wait and see. Same thing about Eshaw. He may be good, but will be able to handle the bigger players in the corners and win the puck battles, or will he be like Uens in Kingston?

I think the BIG DEAL FOR THIS TEAM is

That this is a team that is solely drafted and developed by Boyd and DC. It has only 4 returning players from Andre's time so it is now up to them to prove that they know what they are doing.

So far I am not convinced that they do. We shall wait and see

 

[OMG67]

Agreed but it falls into what you had talked about earlier. Boyd seems to draft players that are skilled but small hoping that they will grow up and get taller and bigger.

I still think his biggest problem is that he has no idea how to draft forwards. Amidovski may be a pleasant change as he has some size. We will have to wait and see. Same thing about Eshaw. He may be good, but will be able to handle the bigger players in the corners and win the puck battles, or will he be like Uens in Kingston?

I think the BIG DEAL FOR THIS TEAM is

That this is a team that is solely drafted and developed by Boyd and DC. It has only 4 returning players from Andre's time so it is now up to them to prove that they know what they are doing.

So far I am not convinced that they do. We shall wait and see

GM’s have a tremendous challenge in front of them. They can draft best available but more often then not, the best available or most skilled is smaller. Or, they can prioritize size but they will get many more hot and miss picks.

Here’s the rub. Do you want a good player with size? If so, you need to draft that player before the end of the 2nd round. After the 2nd round is finished, the returns on bigger players diminish. You are far more likely to draft a good skill player that is smaller outside round 3 than a big player that ends up being half decent.

At the OHL Level, 5’11” is average.They don’t all need to be 6’2”. But, when you draft 5’8 155lb players and hope they gain some size, it’s not often they reach 6’0”. The kids at 5’10” when drafted at 15/16, a lot of times do.

Boyd gets a bad rap for drafting small but what has he actually drafted int he 1st round:
2024 - Amidovski 6’1”
2023 - Brzustewicz 6’0” 200lb
2022 - Mews 6’0”
2021 - Barlas 5’11”
2020 - Moldenhauer 5’10”
2019 - Matier 6’3”
2018 - Tolnai 6’0”

Maybe we give Boyd a bit of a bad rap, right? Mostly, he drafts decent sized players in round one. And, in fairness, his teams have mostly finished high in the standings so he is picking most of his players late in round one after the really good big kids are already off the board.

So, do you continue to draft size in round 3-4-5? Or, do you draft skill and hope they develop into a spark plug or grow a bit more? I think Boyd obviously has drafted a bit smaller in the 3rd-5th rounds.

 

[beastintheeast]

GM’s have a tremendous challenge in front of them. They can draft best available but more often then not, the best available or most skilled is smaller. Or, they can prioritize size but they will get many more hot and miss picks.

Here’s the rub. Do you want a good player with size? If so, you need to draft that player before the end of the 2nd round. After the 2nd round is finished, the returns on bigger players diminish. You are far more likely to draft a good skill player that is smaller outside round 3 than a big player that ends up being half decent.

At the OHL Level, 5’11” is average.They don’t all need to be 6’2”. But, when you draft 5’8 155lb players and hope they gain some size, it’s not often they reach 6’0”. The kids at 5’10” when drafted at 15/16, a lot of times do.

Boyd gets a bad rap for drafting small but what has he actually drafted int he 1st round:
2024 - Amidovski 6’1”
2023 - Brzustewicz 6’0” 200lb
2022 - Mews 6’0”
2021 - Barlas 5’11”
2020 - Moldenhauer 5’10”
2019 - Matier 6’3”
2018 - Tolnai 6’0”

Maybe we give Boyd a bit of a bad rap, right? Mostly, he drafts decent sized players in round one. And, in fairness, his teams have mostly finished high in the standings so he is picking most of his players late in round one after the really good big kids are already off the board.

So, do you continue to draft size in round 3-4-5? Or, do you draft skill and hope they develop into a spark plug or grow a bit more? I think Boyd obviously has drafted a bit smaller in the 3rd-5th rounds.

I understand but we also have to look at other teams and figure out how they do it. We can look at London, obviously, but then we also have to look at Ottawa under Tourigny. Or teams some of the other teams.

It is not just drafting the best player available in the first round, but it is also drafting players that are going to be good OHL players in the 2-4 rounds.

I also realize that there is going to be that player who is great or really good in the OHL but has little to no chance in the NHL due to size. I think Pinelli may be in that class, but I also look at Locke and some of the other payers we have had.

The draft is the first part of the dance called OHL hockey. The next part is to have a dance instructor that can teach them the moves and how to spot a change in the dance card (game). One that can develop the player from a great freestyle (all offence)dancer to a ballroom balanced offence and defence ) dancer. A coach that doesnot leave them trying to figure it out in practice on their own but gives them the tools and puts them into competitions so that they can learn.

That is the difference between a good coach ( Tourigny, Hunter, Killer) and a bad coach (Boyd, Caputi, Gilmour)

 

[dirty12]

I understand but we also have to look at other teams and figure out how they do it. We can look at London, obviously, but then we also have to look at Ottawa under Tourigny. Or teams some of the other teams.

It is not just drafting the best player available in the first round, but it is also drafting players that are going to be good OHL players in the 2-4 rounds.

I also realize that there is going to be that player who is great or really good in the OHL but has little to no chance in the NHL due to size. I think Pinelli may be in that class, but I also look at Locke and some of the other payers we have had.

The draft is the first part of the dance called OHL hockey. The next part is to have a dance instructor that can teach them the moves and how to spot a change in the dance card (game). One that can develop the player from a great freestyle (all offence)dancer to a ballroom balanced offence and defence ) dancer. A coach that doesnot leave them trying to figure it out in practice on their own but gives them the tools and puts them into competitions so that they can learn.

That is the difference between a good coach ( Tourigny, Hunter, Killer) and a bad coach (Boyd, Caputi, Gilmour)

Cameron is not a bad coach. I think his '67s teams may have actually over achieved. Don't forget, there has been two defects in four years and in between Barlas was a bit of a miss by Boyd; that affects how much talent Cameron has had to develop and for you to judge for another year or two.

 

[OMG67]

Interesting to note. Perrier is wearing #17. It is not often a rookie takes the jersey of a potential OA player. Does this mean they are pretty much certain Stonehouse doesn’t return?

MacKenzie and Conway are the two goalies today.

Whitehead, Dever, Barlas and Foster line up at centre.

 

[beastintheeast]

Interesting to note. Perrier is wearing #17. It is not often a rookie takes the jersey of a potential OA player. Does this mean they are pretty much certain Stonehouse doesn’t return?

MacKenzie and Conway are the two goalies today.

Whitehead, Dever, Barlas and Foster line up at centre.

Interesting to see if this is the way they are going to try to go. Also have to remember that Ekberg is not in town yet

 

[sirius67fan]

Interesting to note. Perrier is wearing #17. It is not often a rookie takes the jersey of a potential OA player. Does this mean they are pretty much certain Stonehouse doesn’t return?

MacKenzie and Conway are the two goalies today.

Whitehead, Dever, Barlas and Foster line up at centre.

Have they actually signed Conway?

 

[OMG67]

Have they actually signed Conway?

So they need to sign players to play on exhibition games? I’m not sure they need to.

 

[ohloutsider]

So they need to sign players to play on exhibition games? I’m not sure they need to.

I don't believe they have to sign anyone for tryouts and preseason.

 

[sirius67fan]

So they need to sign players to play on exhibition games? I’m not sure they need to.

I thought they did from an insurance point of view but reading outsider's post I guess not. Still interesting he's dressed and on the roster. Ifthey sat Nelson they're probably interested in him as a third guy for this year?

 

[mianjo]

Down 5-1 in 3rd

Mayich scored for 67's

 

[mianjo]

Down 5-1 in 3rd

Mayich scored for 67's

Mackenzie started and Conway came in midway thru rhe game


Pinelli, Gerrior, Ekberg, Dietsch, Michelone and Nelson not dressed for Ottawa.

 

[frontsfan67]

Conway played pretty good today. Didn’t let in a single goal after McKenzie let in 5 in half the game. He or Nelson should be the backup to McKenzie this year- michelone should be gone but I’m sure you guys already know this.

 

[OMG67]

Game Notes:

1> Conway was fine. He wasn’t really tested much in the 2nd half. MacKenzie was awful. He seemed disinterested. He wasn’t focused at all. He seemed to just go with the flow.
2> We need a centre or three. Foster is garbage as a centre. I have no idea why they keep throwing him into that position when they are short. Same with Barlas. Both are wingers. If they need to play with either of those two as centres, go get something cheap as a fill in. Even if we aren’t advantaged by that player as a centre, at least the other two are on the wing where they are more impactful.
3> Houben and Hilton need to play every game regardless of what they produce. We need to invest in size. Hilton at 18 and Houben at 17 should find their stride at some point. If they do, they will be very impactful players coming off the wing. Both need to fill out a bit but just think of how impactful Roobroeck was last season for Oshawa. I am not saying either can be that good but both have a chance of getting there.
4> Perrier played with the face mask on so he is clearly assigned as an affiliate player. He will likely go to the CCHL once the roster is healthy and we get bodies back.
5> Mews is garbage in front of his own net. He really needs to be able to read the play better defensively. Too many open men on the inside not tied up at all. Playing Mews and Marrelli together is a mistake.
6> Mayich was the best 67’s player on the ice. Probably the only impactful player.
7> Eshkawkogan will be a good one. He may be small but he is slick and isn’t shy to engage.
8> Amidovski is going to need some time to catch up to the speed.
9> Korbler was invisible.
10> I think the Caden Kelly experiment may be over.
11> Overall, the team has work to do. Without Ekberg, Pinelli, and Gerrior in the lineup they are not able to generate offence pretty much at all.

 

[beastintheeast]

I have to wonder if MacK really wants to be here. I think what we are seeing is DC trying to figure out if they need MacK. We now that Nelson will be a starter he showed that in the CCHL.
The question is what do they do for a back up.


Mayich has a lot to prove. It was interesting to listen to Armstrong SL GM talk about how many of the young players are already at the SL camp getting ice time and practicing with the pro players. I am surprised that Mayich is not with them.

Eshkawkogan and Amidovski are going to take some time and need to add some muscle and in Esh case a couple of inches would not be a bad thing


Even with everyone back, it's important to remember that our team's strength lies not just in scoring, but also in our solid goaltending, strong defense, and versatile forwards. These aspects are crucial to our strategy and we need to focus on them.

Again at best for this team I see it fighting for the last playoff spot at best.

 

[OMG67]

I have to wonder if MacK really wants to be here. I think what we are seeing is DC trying to figure out if they need MacK. We now that Nelson will be a starter he showed that in the CCHL.
The question is what do they do for a back up.


Mayich has a lot to prove. It was interesting to listen to Armstrong SL GM talk about how many of the young players are already at the SL camp getting ice time and practicing with the pro players. I am surprised that Mayich is not with them.

Eshkawkogan and Amidovski are going to take some time and need to add some muscle and in Esh case a couple of inches would not be a bad thing


Even with everyone back, it's important to remember that our team's strength lies not just in scoring, but also in our solid goaltending, strong defense, and versatile forwards. These aspects are crucial to our strategy and we need to focus on them.

Again at best for this team I see it fighting for the last playoff spot at best.

I think it is far too early to suggest this is at best an 8th place team, especially in a Conference with the rebuilding Petes and the fledgling Ice Dogs. Othere teams will sell off and plunge in the standings.

I’m not writing the 67’s off just yet. I think they have some interesting pieces but the do need to acquire a bonafide #1 Centre…or at least a strong placeholder.

 

[beastintheeast]

I think it is far too early to suggest this is at best an 8th place team, especially in a Conference with the rebuilding Petes and the fledgling Ice Dogs. Othere teams will sell off and plunge in the standings.

I’m not writing the 67’s off just yet. I think they have some interesting pieces but the do need to acquire a bonafide #1 Centre…or at least a strong placeholder.

I am not writing them off but looking at the rest of the conference.

the 3 B teams are going for it and will be hard to beat with a lot more fire power than we will have.

Oshawa should be strong and I think Kingston is going to be hard to beat also although not as strong as the B's

Sudbury should be competitive and I think that Niagara should have a good team if the GM stops tinkering and Boudreau can get them playing.


That leaves Ottawa, NB, Petes fighting for the last spot. Even if Niagara is not that great it will still be a 4 way fight for the last 2 spots I think


T

 

[sirius67fan]

I think it is far too early to suggest this is at best an 8th place team, especially in a Conference with the rebuilding Petes and the fledgling Ice Dogs. Othere teams will sell off and plunge in the standings.

I’m not writing the 67’s off just yet. I think they have some interesting pieces but the do need to acquire a bonafide #1 Centre…or at least a strong placeholder.

Yeah agreed way too early to write them off. I would be very surprised if they missed the playoffs barring a major sell off. I see them from 5-7 personally. Can't put any weight on preseason.