Ottawa 67's 2023-24 Season Thread (Part 2)

[beastintheeast]

In fairness, no one that matters had Marrelli anywhere near the first round. He isn’t a significant NHL type prospect. Mews was always a late first rounder and he’ has slipped for sure. His defence has not improved and he makes poor decisions with the puck. However, he is just under a point per game as a 17 year old D-Man. That is impressive. I give him credit for his ability to generate offence. Unfortunately, he is only a +2 so his 5 on 5 play is mostly inconsequential. He gives up as much as he takes.

I don’t know what to say about MacK. It is very unfortunate but groin injuries for goalies can be a really difficult injury. At this point, I think they need to ensure he is 100% before he returns. We need him healthy for the playoffs.

To me acquiring the OA players that we did was a waste. I will accept Kressler but we should have kept Lawrence.

As to defence, I am sorry Mayer would not have been my choice. He is like Pinelli and Kressler, a hazard in defensive situations.

Smythe should not be on the team. He has not developed and really brings very little to the defence.

The challenge is that we really do not have a defensive pair that we can put out there.

Mayich might be a good choice, but who do you team him up with? Unless you go with 3 D for the end of the game.

Barlas, I can see on the ice, but we know he is not a true Center, and I agree he is better on the wing. Foster or Gardiner might be a better choice with Korbler or Whitehead.

The challenge that this team has is that they do not and have not had the parts to be a true contender all year. They benefitted from hot goaltending with Donoso and Mack.

When will people start to believe that this is not a top-of-division team and is, at best, 4th place?

I have said it all along and they keep showing me that I am right but I keep hearing the dream that the Bulls are going to fall and the Gens are on the way out.

Heck, to a certain extent, OMG67, you are starting to sound like a Fronts fan.

This is a 2 -3 games in playoffs at most team.

Michelone is running a 3.15 GAA and 884 8 2 1
Donoso was 3.45 and 891 10 10 2
Mack was 3.14 and 902 9 7 2

So we really cannot blame Mich for the losses. He is playing just as well as the other 2.

It is the team in front of him that is the problem.

I will give Cameron credit though he did not have the midget line (Pineli and Kressler) out with Mayer and Smythe

 

[PuckStop75]

OK. SO. I have a little bone to pick here. I give Cameron the benefit of the doubt a lot. I don’t really point many fingers but I am starting to get a little irritated.

After we go up 4-2 with the empty net goal, he puts the 4th line on the ice with Smyth and Mayer. I am ok with Korbler and Barlas out there as wingers int he last minute to protect the lead and bring the game home. But, Barlas at centre and those D-Men plus Kelly is unacceptable judgement. Absolutely unacceptable.

Additionally, why Stonehouse is sitting on the 4th line is ridiculous. The lines of 2nd through 4th are pretty much balanced. Why? He will make a change here and there during the game but this team gets off to slow starts and lacklustre 1st periods. Why do you think that is? IT IS BECAUSE HIS LINES ARE STUPID AF AND HE ISN’T GIVING THEM A CHANCE TO ASSERT.

The problem with Cameron is there is no adaptability, he sees things a certain way and goes with it, even if it’s not working. Almost to the point of being stubborn.

 

[Larionov]

Looks like Mews had himself a good game last night, so maybe questioning him helped. Maybe my expectations for a 17 year old were too high, but I expected him to take a bigger leap - perhaps that leap comes next season. He is definitely the prototype of what an NHL team wants out of a top four defencemen - good skater, moves the puck well, can play on PP1 or PP2. Word from the scouts this year is that in their view, the draft really drops off after the first 20 picks - a team could grab Mews late in the first round or at the top of the second and have themselves a steal in a few years...

 

[analyser]

The problem with Cameron is there is no adaptability, he sees things a certain way and goes with it, even if it’s not working. Almost to the point of being stubborn.

To me Boyd tries his best to acquire players that should upgrade the team and Cameron is supposed to fit the pieces together so they can be a functional unit. Cameron just irritates me the way he runs the team but I do not want to get into that. You cannot keep changing the lineup right into the playoffs as they need some time to develop chemistry as lines and D pairs. It looks like Cameron throws the names into a hat and says this is today's lineup.

Better get some sort of consistent lineup soon as the season is coming to an end quickly. I agree that Cameron looks at things a certain way and will stick to his guns even it is not working. On the other hand when it looks like something could be working it will be changed next game or on the fly.

These are the players you have to work with so decide on the best lineup available and run with it. Minor adjustments can always can be made but try to establish some sort of familiarity with the team moving forward into the playoffs.

 

[ohloutsider]

To me Boyd tries his best to acquire players that should upgrade the team and Cameron is supposed to fit the pieces together so they can be a functional unit. Cameron just irritates me the way he runs the team but I do not want to get into that. You cannot keep changing the lineup right into the playoffs as they need some time to develop chemistry as lines and D pairs. It looks like Cameron throws the names into a hat and says this is today's lineup.

Better get some sort of consistent lineup soon as the season is coming to an end quickly. I agree that Cameron looks at things a certain way and will stick to his guns even it is not working. On the other hand when it looks like something could be working it will be changed next game or on the fly.

These are the players you have to work with so decide on the best lineup available and run with it. Minor adjustments can always can be made but try to establish some sort of familiarity with the team moving forward into the playoffs.

Last year the posters on this thread were raving about being the best franchise and as good as London, if not even a bit better. Funny how a bit of losing changes that perspective.

 

[analyser]

Last year the posters on this thread were raving about being the best franchise and as good as London, if not even a bit better. Funny how a bit of losing changes that perspective.

Maybe some did and everyone is entitled to their opinion. This has nothing to do with who has the best franchise it is talking about how the team is currently being coached.

 

[AGranderson]

Last year the posters on this thread were raving about being the best franchise and as good as London, if not even a bit better. Funny how a bit of losing changes that perspective.

Go back to your own thread

 

[ohloutsider]

Go back to your own thread

No thanks, love to chat all over the board.

 

[NoQuit67s]

Gotta give Michelone some credit.
I had my doudts, but he has surpassed all my expectations. He seems to have fit in nicely.
On most nights, he is the starter knowing he cannot be pulled, no matter the game circumstances, unless he gets injured.
That is a lot of pressure, and he has delivered.

Nice story for a local kid.

 

[beastintheeast]

To me Boyd tries his best to acquire players that should upgrade the team and Cameron is supposed to fit the pieces together so they can be a functional unit. Cameron just irritates me the way he runs the team but I do not want to get into that. You cannot keep changing the lineup right into the playoffs as they need some time to develop chemistry as lines and D pairs. It looks like Cameron throws the names into a hat and says this is today's lineup.

Better get some sort of consistent lineup soon as the season is coming to an end quickly. I agree that Cameron looks at things a certain way and will stick to his guns even it is not working. On the other hand when it looks like something could be working it will be changed next game or on the fly.

These are the players you have to work with so decide on the best lineup available and run with it. Minor adjustments can always can be made but try to establish some sort of familiarity with the team moving forward into the playoffs.

The challenge that Cameron has is that this team is not that damn good. We are not even close to the talent levels that we had in previous years.

We have undersized players who cannot play both ends of the ice. We have defenceman that are not top 4 but are thrust into that position

We do not have a number 1 center.

In the past few years, we have relied on goaltending to save games, that are not this year.

Every team has a year where they suck and need to retool. The challenge that we have is that in the first part of the year, everyone in our division sucked, so we looked good.


Let's fface it the team we have on the ice is a 4,5,6 place team it is not a top team. Let's realize that and get on with it.

 

[HockeyPops]

Go back to your own thread

I don't think Ottawa talk belongs in the Windsor thread?

 

[SidSixpointSeven]

Smyth on the ice for all three goals last night - including the late goal. Mind boggling how he continues to be put out there on the PK and in late game situations when he is clearly a liability out there. Time to either put Horner back on defence or maybe get Dietsch into some games to see what he can do.

 

[NordiquesForeva]

I challenge anyone to watch the last two games and tell me that Kressler isn’t at least good-to-very good defensively. He’s fully engaged in the D-zone, has a good stick, fast on puck pursuit, and has a good awareness of what’s happening. He can hang onto the puck to make the right play to clear the zone or start a breakout. Pretty good on faceoffs. He’s not physical but more than makes up for it with his hustle. Offense is the best defense as they say, and Pinelli and Kressler are strong possession players in the o-zone.

He’s certainly been better defensively than Maillet, who can’t seem to get his feet moving in the D-zone and is therefore susceptible to turnovers near the blue line.I agree with @PuckStops that Maillet would benefit from Gardiner on his RW as they seem to play at the same pace and have similar preferences in how they like to work the puck down low and patiently wait for opportunities.

 

[dirty12]

I challenge anyone to watch the last two games and tell me that Kressler isn’t at least good-to-very good defensively. He’s fully engaged in the D-zone, has a good stick, fast on puck pursuit, and has a good awareness of what’s happening. He can hang onto the puck to make the right play to clear the zone or start a breakout. Pretty good on faceoffs. He’s not physical but more than makes up for it with his hustle. Offense is the best defense as they say, and Pinelli and Kressler are strong possession players in the o-zone.

He’s certainly been better defensively than Maillet, who can’t seem to get his feet moving in the D-zone and is therefore susceptible to turnovers near the blue line.I agree with @PuckStops that Maillet would benefit from Gardiner on his RW as they seem to play at the same pace and have similar preferences in how they like to work the puck down low and patiently wait for opportunities.

Kressler is imo the best 2-way player on the ‘67s, by a lot.

 

[analyser]

The challenge that Cameron has is that this team is not that damn good. We are not even close to the talent levels that we had in previous years.

We have undersized players who cannot play both ends of the ice. We have defenceman that are not top 4 but are thrust into that position

We do not have a number 1 center.

In the past few years, we have relied on goaltending to save games, that are not this year.

Every team has a year where they suck and need to retool. The challenge that we have is that in the first part of the year, everyone in our division sucked, so we looked good.


Let's fface it the team we have on the ice is a 4,5,6 place team it is not a top team. Let's realize that and get on with it.

I for one have not said that this is a championship contending team but just let's build some consistency and see where it takes us. Cameron should at least figure out the lines and the D pairings to achieve the best possible results. Mackenzie may have won us some games but he has not been healthy and his numbers show it. I feel bad for Mack never really been healthy all year.

 

[Petes1987]

Disinterested. I think that is the rue issue last night. It looked like Pinelli was the only player that wanted to play. The rest didn’t give a rats ass about that game. They went through the motions. This team has a tendency of playing down to their opponents. Six losses to Kingston and three to Peterborough. Additional losses to Flint, Niagara, and Sarnia. That is 12 loses out of 24 (including OT and SO) to teams below .500. It is crazy how badly they have squandered opportunities for the easier points yet they play the top teams really well. Very odd.

When Ottawa lost those three games to Peterborough was before the Petes went into a rebuild and were at the time a 1st place team and were far above .500.

 

[OMG67]

I think I “need” to say this AGAIN for some that consistently forget…

This buy was relatively cheap. Overage players are cheap compared to the 19 year olds. We saw four 1st rounders traded at this deadline. The conference is relatively weak compared to most seasons. Had this conference consisted of the normal mix of 2-3 really strong teams and Ottawa were middle of the pack, it would have been a seller year. HOWEVER, that was not the case this year. There was an opportunity to make moves knowing that next year was going to be near impossible for this team to contend. You need to take advantage of opportunities when they present themselves. Boyd made his run when the opportunity presented.

And for those that still cling on to the idea that next year would have been a strong contender year, keep in mind that if we cannot contend for the Conference this year when the Conference is really weak, how on Earth are we to contend next year when the Conference is strong? Keep in mind that this year we had the luxury of adding three OA’s at a cheap cost. Next year, there will be no OA positions to add cheaply to fill holes. Anything of consequence we’d have needed to add would have resulted in the trading of our two first round picks (assuming we needed at least two players).

Post-deadline this team is 9-4-3 (.656 win%). What the friggin’ hell else could anyone want? The 67’s have played 10 of those 16 games on the road. 7 of those 16 games were against teams top 4 in their Conferences. Most of those games without MacK. This isn’t a Conference with teams that are >.700%. This isn’t a Conference where you need to play .750 hockey to win a division. The division leader is only at .623! That translates to a total of 85 points over a full season. For perspective, the East Division winners the last ten seasons:

2023 - Ottawa 107 pts
2022 - Hamilton 107 pts
2020 - Ottawa 101 pts (62 games)
2019 - Ottawa 106 pts
2018 - Hamilton 93 pts
2017 - Peterborough 89 pts
2016 - Kingston 97 pts
2015 - Oshawa 108 pts
2014 - Oshawa 90 pts
2013 - Belleville 96 pts

As you can see, there was only one season over the last ten where the division winner had a point total that started with an “8.” This Conference/Division is up for grabs. Giving your team A chance to go get it when it is low hanging fruit is not a mistake.

Our last 13 games stretch to close the season is very weak. 8 of those 13 games are against teams below .500. We are lined up to finish strong in the standings. We have two games late against Brantford and those two games will be the pivotal games to decide who wins the Division. We will need to play at a .750ish pace the rest of the way but provided we win the games we should win against the weaker teams and win the two games vs Brantford, we should be good for the Division win.

 

[OMG67]

Last year the posters on this thread were raving about being the best franchise and as good as London, if not even a bit better. Funny how a bit of losing changes that perspective.

In fairness, this season is a wonky season in the Eastern Conference. This should have been a seller year or at least a repositioning year for the 67’s. But circumstances on the ground this season changed the focus. That doesn’t diminish the fact this is still a strong franchise. Questioning the coach while winning games is more of a luxury. It is not like we are in Kingston questioning coaches year after year.

And, from my perspective, you are welcome on here anytime. I love it when fans of other teams and OHL fans in general add their perspectives.

 

[sirius67fan]

The challenge that Cameron has is that this team is not that damn good. We are not even close to the talent levels that we had in previous years.

We have undersized players who cannot play both ends of the ice. We have defenceman that are not top 4 but are thrust into that position

We do not have a number 1 center.

In the past few years, we have relied on goaltending to save games, that are not this year.

Every team has a year where they suck and need to retool. The challenge that we have is that in the first part of the year, everyone in our division sucked, so we looked good.


Let's fface it the team we have on the ice is a 4,5,6 place team it is not a top team. Let's realize that and get on with it.

Geez Beast. You're a very pessimistic fellow this year who keeps making the same points over and over. We KNOW this isn't a perfect team!You are allowed your opinion and you might turn out right. But at least wait until to see how things turn out. They might not gel ...but they might and don't forget Mac...the great equalizer

 

[OMG67]

Geez Beast. You're a very pessimistic fellow this year who keeps making the same points over and over. We KNOW this isn't a perfect team!You are allowed your opinion and you might turn out right. But at least wait until to see how things turn out. They might not gel ...but they might and don't forget Mac...the great equalizer

What Beast has failed to grasp is that no teams are really what you would consider a true contender. You need to compare your team to what its competition level is. We are right there with the competition. We aren’t competing with teams fromt he past, nor are we going to compete with teams in the future. It is about the landscape right now. We measure very well with the teams we are grouped with.

I find it rich that anyone could suggest that a team is a 4-5-6 place team when 8 points separate 1 through 6.

When speaking about regular season standings, if one team goes on an epic run, they will win the conference. But, the real question is where the teams stand in the playoffs. I think North Bay has the edge but I’m not 100% sure about that either. There isn’t a team in the Conference that scares me.

Ottawa is 11-6 vs the other teams in the top 6 in the Conference. We’ve proven capable of winning games against our direct competition.

Sudbury 2-0
North Bay 2-3
Brantford 1-1
Oshawa 5-1
Mississauga 1-1

It is not like we are being overwhelmed by the competition. It has been Peterborough and Kingston that have done us in which is odd but I guess it happens. Those shouldn’t be teams we need to worry about in the playoffs.

 

[beastintheeast]

I think I “need” to say this AGAIN for some that consistently forget…

This buy was relatively cheap. Overage players are cheap compared to the 19 year olds. We saw four 1st rounders traded at this deadline. The conference is relatively weak compared to most seasons. Had this conference consisted of the normal mix of 2-3 really strong teams and Ottawa were middle of the pack, it would have been a seller year. HOWEVER, that was not the case this year. There was an opportunity to make moves knowing that next year was going to be near impossible for this team to contend. You need to take advantage of opportunities when they present themselves. Boyd made his run when the opportunity presented.

And for those that still cling on to the idea that next year would have been a strong contender year, keep in mind that if we cannot contend for the Conference this year when the Conference is really weak, how on Earth are we to contend next year when the Conference is strong? Keep in mind that this year we had the luxury of adding three OA’s at a cheap cost. Next year, there will be no OA positions to add cheaply to fill holes. Anything of consequence we’d have needed to add would have resulted in the trading of our two first round picks (assuming we needed at least two players).

Post-deadline this team is 9-4-3 (.656 win%). What the friggin’ hell else could anyone want? The 67’s have played 10 of those 16 games on the road. 7 of those 16 games were against teams top 4 in their Conferences. Most of those games without MacK. This isn’t a Conference with teams that are >.700%. This isn’t a Conference where you need to play .750 hockey to win a division. The division leader is only at .623! That translates to a total of 85 points over a full season. For perspective, the East Division winners the last ten seasons:

2023 - Ottawa 107 pts
2022 - Hamilton 107 pts
2020 - Ottawa 101 pts (62 games)
2019 - Ottawa 106 pts
2018 - Hamilton 93 pts
2017 - Peterborough 89 pts
2016 - Kingston 97 pts
2015 - Oshawa 108 pts
2014 - Oshawa 90 pts
2013 - Belleville 96 pts

As you can see, there was only one season over the last ten where the division winner had a point total that started with an “8.” This Conference/Division is up for grabs. Giving your team A chance to go get it when it is low hanging fruit is not a mistake.

Our last 13 games stretch to close the season is very weak. 8 of those 13 games are against teams below .500. We are lined up to finish strong in the standings. We have two games late against Brantford and those two games will be the pivotal games to decide who wins the Division. We will need to play at a .750ish pace the rest of the way but provided we win the games we should win against the weaker teams and win the two games vs Brantford, we should be good for the Division win.

I stil do not see other than a few more home games where this gets us. Also, consider that IF we finish at the top of the division, we play Kingston, and that means there is no guarantee that we will get past them.

Personally a series against Oshawa who just got Lockhart back BTW will be interesting.

 

[beastintheeast]

Geez Beast. You're a very pessimistic fellow this year who keeps making the same points over and over. We KNOW this isn't a perfect team!You are allowed your opinion and you might turn out right. But at least wait until to see how things turn out. They might not gel ...but they might and don't forget Mac...the great equalizer

What Beast has failed to grasp is that no teams are really what you would consider a true contender. You need to compare your team to what its competition level is. We are right there with the competition. We aren’t competing with teams fromt he past, nor are we going to compete with teams in the future. It is about the landscape right now. We measure very well with the teams we are grouped with.

I find it rich that anyone could suggest that a team is a 4-5-6 place team when 8 points separate 1 through 6.

When speaking about regular season standings, if one team goes on an epic run, they will win the conference. But, the real question is where the teams stand in the playoffs. I think North Bay has the edge but I’m not 100% sure about that either. There isn’t a team in the Conference that scares me.

Ottawa is 11-6 vs the other teams in the top 6 in the Conference. We’ve proven capable of winning games against our direct competition.

Sudbury 2-0
North Bay 2-3
Brantford 1-1
Oshawa 5-1
Mississauga 1-1

It is not like we are being overwhelmed by the competition. It has been Peterborough and Kingston that have done us in which is odd but I guess it happens. Those shouldn’t be teams we need to worry about in the playoffs.

My comments are geared to the fact that a lot of people are expecting last year or previous year's quality when talking about a team that is not even close to that.

My ex[pecations are consistent. I see Brantford not folding like people think they will or need to.

That being the case and OPshawa not having a rebirth with Lockhart back we should finish around 4/5th.

It is not that hard to understand

NorthBay and Sudbury are ahead of us and playing strong.

Brantford is winning games that they need to win and being competitive. I just do not see them folding up and falling below either us or Oshawa.

That is what I am looking at. We can win all the rest of the games we play and still not finish against Brantford unless they fall apart.

 

[OMG67]

My comments are geared to the fact that a lot of people are expecting last year or previous year's quality when talking about a team that is not even close to that.

My ex[pecations are consistent. I see Brantford not folding like people think they will or need to.

That being the case and OPshawa not having a rebirth with Lockhart back we should finish around 4/5th.

It is not that hard to understand

NorthBay and Sudbury are ahead of us and playing strong.

Brantford is winning games that they need to win and being competitive. I just do not see them folding up and falling below either us or Oshawa.

That is what I am looking at. We can win all the rest of the games we play and still not finish against Brantford unless they fall apart.

A win against North Bay tomorrow puts us two points back with a game in hand. They do have a relatively easy schedule like Ottawa though. But, regardless, you keep talking as if these teams are all out of reach. We are talking one good weekend vs one bad weekend difference. The teams are that close.

I find it ridiculous that you continue to be adamant about the 67’s finishing even behind Oshawa. Oshawa’s schedule is tough as nails to the end.

I will admit that Brantford has not slowed down but that doesn’t mean they are out of reach. We win two games in hand and the two games vs them and we are tied withthe remaining schedule left.

We need to go 13-3 for 86 points. I think that wins the division. Brantford goes 8-5-1 and we are good.

I think we need the win tomorrow though. A loss tomorrow vs North Bay would make it tough. A win tomorrow really makes it interesting. It leaves us with London, Oshawax2, Missyx2 and Brantfordx2. Seven tougher games coupled with 8 games agaisnt below .500 teams. If we win our 8 games against the lessor lights of the league, that makes gets us to needing to go 5-3 vs the good teams.

To me, the key games are the two against Brantford and tomorrow vs North Bay.

Finishing 3rd isn’t a bad gig either. That puts us up agsisnt one of Missy or Oshawa most likely. Then Brantford in round two most likely. That keeps us away from North Bay and Sudbury, although, I think with a healthy MacK we beat Sudbury.

 

[beastintheeast]

A win against North Bay tomorrow puts us two points back with a game in hand. They do have a relatively easy schedule like Ottawa though. But, regardless, you keep talking as if these teams are all out of reach. We are talking one good weekend vs one bad weekend difference. The teams are that close.

I find it ridiculous that you continue to be adamant about the 67’s finishing even behind Oshawa. Oshawa’s schedule is tough as nails to the end.

I will admit that Brantford has not slowed down but that doesn’t mean they are out of reach. We win two games in hand and the two games vs them and we are tied withthe remaining schedule left.

We need to go 13-3 for 86 points. I think that wins the division. Brantford goes 8-5-1 and we are good.

I think we need the win tomorrow though. A loss tomorrow vs North Bay would make it tough. A win tomorrow really makes it interesting. It leaves us with London, Oshawax2, Missyx2 and Brantfordx2. Seven tougher games coupled with 8 games agaisnt below .500 teams. If we win our 8 games against the lessor lights of the league, that makes gets us to needing to go 5-3 vs the good teams.

To me, the key games are the two against Brantford and tomorrow vs North Bay.

Finishing 3rd isn’t a bad gig either. That puts us up agsisnt one of Missy or Oshawa most likely. Then Brantford in round two most likely. That keeps us away from North Bay and Sudbury, although, I think with a healthy MacK we beat Sudbury.

I don't see us behind Oshawa. I think that 4/5 will be interesting. I see North Bay and Sudbury finishing ahead of us. That leaves us in 4th or at worst 5th.

Brantford has to stumble and I am not sure that is going to happen. They need to lose 4 more games than us. I am not sure that that is a number at this point that we can make up.

 

[PuckStop75]

With 2 games against each of Oshawa, Brantford and Mississauga the standings will be resolved with those games, add to it a game against London and it’s a tough set in these last 16 games. If they are going to make a jump in the standings they pretty much have to sweep those games.

The key is still to resolve 2nd & 3rd lines and get production out of more than the top line. The team may be able to continue winning the way they are in regular season but that will not hold up in playoffs when the top teams get dialed in.