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Ottawa 67's 2023-24 Off-Season Thread (Part 1)

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ZinErie said:
I saw on the Otters Facebook page that a group of Otters fans did the 3 game road trip. Not sure if it was the booster club,but seems likely. At least 4 Otters are from the Ottawa area I believe I heard on your TV broadcastkes sense. Just never seen that much noise supporting the visiting team there.
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Well that makes sense then. I've been away from Ottawa for quite a while but it used to be that you'd get a handful of fans in the southside stands or the occasional fan bus which was actually great as it made our fans louder. Back then though the arena held over 10K so the visiting team's fans didn't really make a dent in the noise.
NoQuit67s said:
Nice tribute from Zenon Konopka for his buddy Lance Galbraith though.
He probably had that weighing on his heart for a while now...
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I remember years ago reading somewhere on a Belleville fan forum that Bullls fans used to really hate Galbraith and all his shenanigans. While we loved him he was a real thorn for the guys he played against. However when one Belleville fan wrote that he hated Lance with a passion but admitted that no other visiting team's player made that much of an impact when he'd go into their rink. Also in that he'd be really "missed" in which I thought that was very fitting.
 
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A few comments/questions from somebody who only sees the boxscores these days. Have we found a solid second line with Maillet/Foster/Horner?? Stats looked great on weekend. Is Horner truly playing well as a forward or on a lucky streak? Seems to be getting his fair share of points! From the comments the team laid an egg yesterday but that line appears to have been great all weekend.
 
OMG67 said:
It actually started with reconfigured lines. Gerrior taken off the 1st one and replaced with Korbler. Dever dropped to the 4th line with Barlas. Gerrior ending up beside Gardiner and Stonehouse. That line may not have contributed a lot of offence but they did actually play fairly well. Again, to reiterate on what you said, they have a winning streak going and instead of simply inserting Whitehead for injured Kelly on the 4th line, Cameron went and juggled the lines up for some strange reason. Even with 10 minutes left in the 3rd and down 3 goals, he was rolling 4 lines and didn’t concentrate the lines to three. Once he did, they scored two goals.

Sometimes I don't understand Cameron at all.
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On Cameron - likewise.

I didn't catch the last half of the Missy game on Friday evening but I seem to recall the forward lines being shuffled early in that game too, with Korbler back up with Kressler + Pinelli...but at the time thought it was a response to Kelly getting injured (he got absolutely rocked...wow) and mixing Korbler into the lineup.

Part of me thinks that Cameron is trying to get his 2nd and 3rd lines going in time for the playoffs, and took the opportunity against a western conference team to try some things out. I guess in that sense it worked to a degree as the Gardiner line was really good yesterday. As was the Maillet line. Moving Gerrior down to the Gardiner line is kind of robbing Peter to pay Paul though, as the Kressler line was really firing with Gerrior on the right side...Korbler doesn't bring the same level of intensity or skill that Gerrior does at this point and I don't think its a coincidence that the Kressler line looked off last night. Compounded by the shuffled D pairings as well.

I've noticed that Cameron manages the bench differently against western conference teams. I suspect there is some health/schedule management going on behind the scenes with respect to Kressler + Pinelli and not burning them out before the playoffs. I think you'd see a shorter bench if our opponent yesterday was anyone in the east.
 
sirius67fan said:
A few comments/questions from somebody who only sees the boxscores these days. Have we found a solid second line with Maillet/Foster/Horner?? Stats looked great on weekend. Is Horner truly playing well as a forward or on a lucky streak? Seems to be getting his fair share of points! From the comments the team laid an egg yesterday but that line appears to have been great all weekend.
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Nah, we've seen enough now I think to conclude that Horner is a pretty good forward. He's playing well. Taking the body and finishing checks, asserting himself in front of the net, getting some good looks. I wouldn't say he's the most skilled offensive player and would perhaps look out of place with Kressler + Pinelli, but on the Maillet/Foster line he can certainly contribute. Personally, I like that the Maillet line offers a much different look and pace than the Kressler line. Then, back to aggressive and high-paced puck pursuit with Gardiner, Stoney and Gerrior.

Foster returning to form over the last few weeks has raised the level of play of that line as a whole; I think that is the biggest contributor to the line's improved play of late, moreso than anything Maillet is really doing differently. But, some points on the scoresheet in big games seems to have helped his confidence level.
 
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beastintheeast said:
Some teams and their booster clubs still organize team weekends. Bet they had a great time.

Used to have Ottawa weekends but not sure if they still do

OMG67 can probably remind me but I can remember teams that would do Kingston Friday afternoon or Sunday game with us and also take in a Sens game.
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I wouldn’t know about those ones but I imagine that would be normal.

I do remember doing Marlies/Leafs game double headers when I was a kid. I did a few of those. That would have been mid-80’s.

Race Dawg said:
Well that makes sense then. I've been away from Ottawa for quite a while but it used to be that you'd get a handful of fans in the southside stands or the occasional fan bus which was actually great as it made our fans louder. Back then though the arena held over 10K so the visiting team's fans didn't really make a dent in the noise.

I remember years ago reading somewhere on a Belleville fan forum that Bullls fans used to really hate Galbraith and all his shenanigans. While we loved him he was a real thorn for the guys he played against. However when one Belleville fan wrote that he hated Lance with a passion but admitted that no other visiting team's player made that much of an impact when he'd go into their rink. Also in that he'd be really "missed" in which I thought that was very fitting.
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I remember one game in Belleville where Lance took a five minute major on a really dirty hit on Danny Cleary. Ottawa scored three shorthanded goals on that five minute powerplay.

Lance was a character for sure.
 
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NordiquesForeva said:
On Cameron - likewise.

I didn't catch the last half of the Missy game on Friday evening but I seem to recall the forward lines being shuffled early in that game too, with Korbler back up with Kressler + Pinelli...but at the time thought it was a response to Kelly getting injured (he got absolutely rocked...wow) and mixing Korbler into the lineup.

Part of me thinks that Cameron is trying to get his 2nd and 3rd lines going in time for the playoffs, and took the opportunity against a western conference team to try some things out. I guess in that sense it worked to a degree as the Gardiner line was really good yesterday. As was the Maillet line. Moving Gerrior down to the Gardiner line is kind of robbing Peter to pay Paul though, as the Kressler line was really firing with Gerrior on the right side...Korbler doesn't bring the same level of intensity or skill that Gerrior does at this point and I don't think its a coincidence that the Kressler line looked off last night. Compounded by the shuffled D pairings as well.

I've noticed that Cameron manages the bench differently against western conference teams. I suspect there is some health/schedule management going on behind the scenes with respect to Kressler + Pinelli and not burning them out before the playoffs. I think you'd see a shorter bench if our opponent yesterday was anyone in the east.
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Again, we can point to the fact we all pretty much said if you are going to make moves and spend draft capital, go all the way and get that last winger. He didn’t and now we pay the price.

The first line needs Gerrior because it is a puck possession line. You need a penatrator on that line because both Kressler and Pinelli are perimeter guys that look for seems. Having a more aggressive player like Gerrior changes the look and helps open up those seems those other two expose almost at will as soon as they open. When the seems open, the other two will ether dish through them to an open side or step into them with pace and find all the vulnerable spots in tight. Korbler doesn’t have the same impact.

The Maillet line with Foster and Horner will work as long as Maillet can win faceoffs and Foster can finish. The Gardiner line will work with Stonehouse no matter whether Gerrier is on it or not. Dever is a poor mans Gerrior. He can provide the same energy with less scoring polish. It means both Gardiner and Stonehouse need to be the goal scorers. So be it.

Collectively, the team is better with a stiffer first line, especially when the better teams have tighter checking. You need one scary line in those situations. Gerrior provides that added boost on that line that elevates it to a bonafide #1 line.
 
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Gerrior certainly makes for a more polished top line, I think there was a concerted effort to get the 2nd and 3rd lines more ice time yesterday and perhaps some load management with Kressler and Pinelli. Moving Gerrior in that case would make sense as generally speaking his work load hasn't been what the other two have been getting. In a perfect world yesterday the top 5-on-5 ice time would have been divided between lines 2 & 3. Kressler and Pinelli almost exclusively on PP/PK with the 4th line getting their usual 3 shifts a period.

Didn't play out the way they would have liked, and there was some scrambling later in the game when they fell behind. The positive from the last couple of games is they are getting scoring out of the secondary group which will be needed come playoff time.

If there was a game to lose on the weekend that was it. Get primed and ready to go against Oshawa tomorrow.
 
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OMG67 said:
Again, we can point to the fact we all pretty much said if you are going to make moves and spend draft capital, go all the way and get that last winger. He didn’t and now we pay the price.

The first line needs Gerrior because it is a puck possession line. You need a penatrator on that line because both Kressler and Pinelli are perimeter guys that look for seems. Having a more aggressive player like Gerrior changes the look and helps open up those seems those other two expose almost at will as soon as they open. When the seems open, the other two will ether dish through them to an open side or step into them with pace and find all the vulnerable spots in tight. Korbler doesn’t have the same impact.

The Maillet line with Foster and Horner will work as long as Maillet can win faceoffs and Foster can finish. The Gardiner line will work with Stonehouse no matter whether Gerrier is on it or not. Dever is a poor mans Gerrior. He can provide the same energy with less scoring polish. It means both Gardiner and Stonehouse need to be the goal scorers. So be it.

Collectively, the team is better with a stiffer first line, especially when the better teams have tighter checking. You need one scary line in those situations. Gerrior provides that added boost on that line that elevates it to a bonafide #1 line.
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If the Maillet line can maintain its current level of play, I'd be more than happy with a lineup that includes Gerrior on the first line, and perhaps a simple switch of Dever and Korbler to get Dever up to the 3rd line with Gardiner and Stonehosue.

I wonder how long Kelly will be out for. He got rocked pretty good. Probably in concussion protocol for some period of time.

I thought Whitehead was relatively impactful yesterday for his first game in several weeks. He had a really nice shift in the mid-3rd where he created a decent opportunity and forced a faceoff in the o-zone; iirc Foster scored on the very next shift.
 
NordiquesForeva said:
If the Maillet line can maintain its current level of play, I'd be more than happy with a lineup that includes Gerrior on the first line, and perhaps a simple switch of Dever and Korbler to get Dever up to the 3rd line with Gardiner and Stonehosue.

I wonder how long Kelly will be out for. He got rocked pretty good. Probably in concussion protocol for some period of time.

I thought Whitehead was relatively impactful yesterday for his first game in several weeks. He had a really nice shift in the mid-3rd where he created a decent opportunity and forced a faceoff in the o-zone; iirc Foster scored on the very next shift.
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Nothing wrong with Whitehead other than age and experience. His attributes are duplicated with other more experienced/older players so he isnt’ bringing anything new to the lineup to unseat anyone. Some could argue he deserves to be there more than Horner but Horner adds an element of toughness and hard nosed type of play that we lack. So there is clearly an opportunity cost there.

We have too many small’ish players that can skate and make some plays and not enough guys that can work their way through tough checking. At some point the franchise will need to make some sacrifices and be willing to hit and miss a little more with bigger players early. You cannot trade for size/skill. The teams that have that won’t trade it unless they are graduating players on a weak team. You can always find small skaters. The bigger players that can play at a higher level are off the board by the time the 2nd round is over.

When you look at the 67’s draft, you see a lot of smaller players with strong skating that make the team. Gerrior (9th), Dever (4th), Brady (10th), and Horner (7th) from this roster. Then guys like Varga (7th), Alex Johnston (6th), Costantini (6th), Ewles (5th).

You can draft bigger kids late but they dont’ usually become much of a player as a forward. They picked Hilton (14th) and Houben (5th) but neither of those guys look poised to play a role. When they hit on later picks, they are usually smaller players.

They need to draft a little differently going forward. Picking Whitehead is ok but when the player is 5’8.5” and 147lb, you gotta hope the kid packs on some weight. And you have to think if you are trying to contend, a kid that small will not play a significant role year one. We essentially have zero players from the 2023 draft making a difference. HB defected, Whitehead in the press box, Dietsch, Yanni, Nelson, and Houben playing Tier II.

On top of that, they draft a lot of USA players. McKinney and Barnett in the 7th/8th rounds. Both are with the USNTDP and committed to Michigan. If they are going to continue drafting those guys, they better start finding ways to get the players to commit. Hopes and prayers isn’t working.
 
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OMG67 said:
We essentially have zero players from the 2023 draft making a difference. HB defected
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I don't think you can judge the franchise on lack of impact 16 year olds. Even first rounders often struggle adjusting to the league their first year. Without a first rounder reporting, this was always the most likely outcome this year.
 
HockeyPops said:
I don't think you can judge the franchise on lack of impact 16 year olds. Even first rounders often struggle adjusting to the league their first year. Without a first rounder reporting, this was always the most likely outcome this year.
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Regardless, when you don’t even have a depth player in your top 20, it is tough. I cannot remember the last time Ottawa didn’t have at least two 16 year olds as part of their top 20. Granted the 1st defected but it isn’t often Ottawa can say that.
 
OMG67 said:
Regardless, when you don’t even have a depth player in your top 20, it is tough. I cannot remember the last time Ottawa didn’t have at least two 16 year olds as part of their top 20. Granted the 1st defected but it isn’t often Ottawa can say that.
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This sounds more like praise than a criticism.
 
HockeyPops said:
This sounds more like praise than a criticism.
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I don’t think it is either. Observation more than anything.

The key is the draft issue with smaller players. The fact that Whitehead is a small kid eliminates him. When a 5’11” D-Man plays ahead of you on the foreward depth chart and it’s not because of skill, speed, or skating, it really points to the fact the kid is too small at 16. Also consider they have their 1st round Import NHL Drafted 18 year old injured and out for the year on top of that….

Depth on the blueline eliminates Dietsch. He is good enough to play now. That is a good problem.
 
OMG67 said:
Nothing wrong with Whitehead other than age and experience. His attributes are duplicated with other more experienced/older players so he isnt’ bringing anything new to the lineup to unseat anyone. Some could argue he deserves to be there more than Horner but Horner adds an element of toughness and hard nosed type of play that we lack. So there is clearly an opportunity cost there.

We have too many small’ish players that can skate and make some plays and not enough guys that can work their way through tough checking. At some point the franchise will need to make some sacrifices and be willing to hit and miss a little more with bigger players early. You cannot trade for size/skill. The teams that have that won’t trade it unless they are graduating players on a weak team. You can always find small skaters. The bigger players that can play at a higher level are off the board by the time the 2nd round is over.

When you look at the 67’s draft, you see a lot of smaller players with strong skating that make the team. Gerrior (9th), Dever (4th), Brady (10th), and Horner (7th) from this roster. Then guys like Varga (7th), Alex Johnston (6th), Costantini (6th), Ewles (5th).

You can draft bigger kids late but they dont’ usually become much of a player as a forward. They picked Hilton (14th) and Houben (5th) but neither of those guys look poised to play a role. When they hit on later picks, they are usually smaller players.

They need to draft a little differently going forward. Picking Whitehead is ok but when the player is 5’8.5” and 147lb, you gotta hope the kid packs on some weight. And you have to think if you are trying to contend, a kid that small will not play a significant role year one. We essentially have zero players from the 2023 draft making a difference. HB defected, Whitehead in the press box, Dietsch, Yanni, Nelson, and Houben playing Tier II.

On top of that, they draft a lot of USA players. McKinney and Barnett in the 7th/8th rounds. Both are with the USNTDP and committed to Michigan. If they are going to continue drafting those guys, they better start finding ways to get the players to commit. Hopes and prayers isn’t working.
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As we have debated this team came into the year with a plan and a whole lot of returning players.

HB may have been a surprise but you have to think that the family gave them a heads up before the draft.

Whitehead got lucky we had an opening for a center on the team, and he got it.

Wings and defence are different matters. We were set coming into the year with solid returning players as well as our 2 Euro's

Goaltending was not an issue as we had 2 solid returning players. Therefore from a devbelopment stage it was better to get these guys as much ice time this year as possible. So sending all of them down to the CCHL where if they exploded they could then be moved back here was the best thing for them.
Players are going to benefit from solid ice time in the CCHL versus spot time in the OHL.

As to we drafted big players in the late rounds that can not make the team makes o sense.

How many 2023 3rd round picks are lighting up the OHL this year
 
beastintheeast said:
As we have debated this team came into the year with a plan and a whole lot of returning players.

HB may have been a surprise but you have to think that the family gave them a heads up before the draft.

Whitehead got lucky we had an opening for a center on the team, and he got it.

Wings and defence are different matters. We were set coming into the year with solid returning players as well as our 2 Euro's

Goaltending was not an issue as we had 2 solid returning players. Therefore from a devbelopment stage it was better to get these guys as much ice time this year as possible. So sending all of them down to the CCHL where if they exploded they could then be moved back here was the best thing for them.
Players are going to benefit from solid ice time in the CCHL versus spot time in the OHL.

As to we drafted big players in the late rounds that can not make the team makes o sense.

How many 2023 3rd round picks are lighting up the OHL this year
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Again, that wasn’t really the point of the original post but it isn’t a matter of what players are where but more a matter of what relatively inconsequential players do we have that could have potentially be packaged in other deals to thin out the roster and fill depth holes with rookie types? Ottawa has always had contributing 16 year olds.

For example, we moved Ewles for a couple picks to help reduce some of the redundancy on defence. This was an area last year we pointed to. Why keep so many players in the press box? Move them for assets now.

I’m fine with Whitehead playing wing instead of Kelly provided we could get something decent for Kelly at the deadline. Open space for 16 year olds on depth roles and use some of the guys that are older and in those depth roles.

But, the point of the original post had to do with drafting size early because you aren’t likely to get high end size with depth picks in the same way as you can get smaller players.
 
OMG67 said:
Again, that wasn’t really the point of the original post but it isn’t a matter of what players are where but more a matter of what relatively inconsequential players do we have that could have potentially be packaged in other deals to thin out the roster and fill depth holes with rookie types? Ottawa has always had contributing 16 year olds.

For example, we moved Ewles for a couple picks to help reduce some of the redundancy on defence. This was an area last year we pointed to. Why keep so many players in the press box? Move them for assets now.

I’m fine with Whitehead playing wing instead of Kelly provided we could get something decent for Kelly at the deadline. Open space for 16 year olds on depth roles and use some of the guys that are older and in those depth roles.

But, the point of the original post had to do with drafting size early because you aren’t likely to get high end size with depth picks in the same way as you can get smaller players.
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How many times did we have people inthe stands this year. Not many
The problem again with drafting size is that we seem to draft solate that a lot of the plaeyrs are gone. It is great to say we need to draft size and I do not disagree the problem is that whhen you are drafting last the players are ot available.

That is part why I wuld not be upset with making the playoffs as the 5/6 seed. Then we at least get a better chance at getting an impact player. I would rather that than win a first round and get booted.
 
Looks like Charlie Hilton may be in the lineup tonight. This may get interesting.
 
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