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

[mianjo]

67's win 3-2 in OT

 

[gadder]

Ottawa wins over Kingston 3-2. For a 10:30 start the game was surprisingly good: lots of energy and effort for the most part.

The good:
I saw MacKenzie was the backup. I presume we'll see him this weekend; thank you very much Max.
Dever was quick and full of buzz. Now he needs just a little control at the crucial moments.
We are really opportunistic. 2 turnovers by Kingston led immediately to 2 goals for us.

The not-so-good:
I think we got slaughtered on the faceoffs. I think we always get slaugthered on the faceoffs. But with all the practice Gardiner is getting he should improve.
Brady was on the bench but I don't think he got a shift. Maybe he has the flu.

 

[44 95 plus tax]

I guess the 67's have been reading HFBoards....

 

[OMG67]

I guess the 67's have been reading HFBoards....

View attachment 775173

I was 100% correct! He needs to be a starter and get games in and face a lot of rubber!

Let’s see what happens if he goes back to being the backup and plays once per week….

 

[frontsfan67]

I was 100% correct! He needs to be a starter and get games in and face a lot of rubber!

Let’s see what happens if he goes back to being the backup and plays once per week….

Imo donoso is an above average starter- McKenzie is currently challenging for goalie of the year. Donoso will prob be with you guys until late December-trade deadline. Give the guy consistent minutes and he will play well. Maybe once every 2 or 3 games would be fair

 

[OHL4Life]

The Petes plan going forward is to be competitive every year. The Petes are not going to tank at the trade deadline. They will likely trade only Owen Beck and Sam Mayer. In regards to Mayer. He may not have a choice where he is traded as he likely does not have a no trade clause. The Petes would likely try to trade him to a team of his choice but if the offers are far less than what they want they will trade him to a team that will pay their price. In a draft pick only deal they would likely want at minimum a 2nd and a 3rd. They will listen to offers for other players but only will trade them if a team makes a good offer that includes a player.

didnt you say alot of things wouldnt happen that ended up happening, ie trading simpson, trading lockhart for less then 'high end' return?

 

[OMG67]

Imo donoso is an above average starter- McKenzie is currently challenging for goalie of the year. Donoso will prob be with you guys until late December-trade deadline. Give the guy consistent minutes and he will play well. Maybe once every 2 or 3 games would be fair

Donoso has struggled every time he is put in a backup or platoon role. His best games are when he faces 40 shots. His best runs are when he plays at least two games per week (the starter role). This is something I pointed to in the offseason, again at the start of the season, again after he had a slow start, and again when people were suggesting his trade value was depressed. He NEEDS to be a starter now. He cannot be that on Ottawa. Mack is too good to hold him back.

I don’t know what options were available to Boyd regarding Donoso so I cannot sit here and criticize him for not getting something done. If there was no market for Donoso, so be it. I don’t know one way or the other. All I can say is this was VERY predictable. I am just some SHMOE on the Internet making comments and I could easily see all of this unfolding with respect to Donoso. This should have been easy for the 67’s management to realistically predict happening. So, I have to believe there wasn’t an opportunity afforded our management to find Donoso a place to play as a starter.

IMO, that tweet was directed at the league. I think they are trying to position him to find a role somewhere. I think they are trying to generate interest. I think they are trying to do what is right for the player. I hope they manage to do so. He is a good goalie and deserves a better opportunity than Ottawa can give him.

 

[BarberPole9]

Look at this post on Facebook Les 67′s à nouveau dans la course de la Ligue de l’Ontario

Another great JF Plante article. The best writer in Junior Hockey, in my opinion.

The highlights:
1) Ottawa is looking to add an OA but the market is slow due to the parity of the league;

2) The Petes are lining up to sell Mayer and there is a rumour that Tucker Robertson may be sent back to Junior;

3) Chris Barlas and Charlie Hilton were out today due to family reasons;

4) Sudbury is expected to be very active buyers as this is their go for it year;

5) Tuomas Uronen is out for the year and Thomas Sirman may return before the Christmas break.

Thanks to JF for his coverage and for possibly answering the question about the 67’s being buyers this year. If they aren’t going to be buyers, why would they add an OA?

Buckle up!!

 

[44 95 plus tax]

IMO, that tweet was directed at the league. I think they are trying to position him to find a role somewhere. I think they are trying to generate interest. I think they are trying to do what is right for the player. I hope they manage to do so. He is a good goalie and deserves a better opportunity than Ottawa can give him.

I don't think a rival GM is going to go on the 67's Facebook page, see a post and go "Hmm maybe we should take a look at this guy."

 

[ecraigs]

Donoso has struggled every time he is put in a backup or platoon role. His best games are when he faces 40 shots. His best runs are when he plays at least two games per week (the starter role). This is something I pointed to in the offseason, again at the start of the season, again after he had a slow start, and again when people were suggesting his trade value was depressed. He NEEDS to be a starter now. He cannot be that on Ottawa. Mack is too good to hold him back.

I don’t know what options were available to Boyd regarding Donoso so I cannot sit here and criticize him for not getting something done. If there was no market for Donoso, so be it. I don’t know one way or the other. All I can say is this was VERY predictable. I am just some SHMOE on the Internet making comments and I could easily see all of this unfolding with respect to Donoso. This should have been easy for the 67’s management to realistically predict happening. So, I have to believe there wasn’t an opportunity afforded our management to find Donoso a place to play as a starter.

IMO, that tweet was directed at the league. I think they are trying to position him to find a role somewhere. I think they are trying to generate interest. I think they are trying to do what is right for the player. I hope they manage to do so. He is a good goalie and deserves a better opportunity than Ottawa can give him.

Well, Schmo, I don't disagree. Donoso strings together great games and then, drops a bomb in the middle of one. The Windsor game was as dispiriting effort from the whole team, given they were playing the worst team bar none in the League. A team with a -54 goal differential. I don't put that on Donoso so much as a lacklustre effort in general. The first Windsor goal was pitiful and they just kept scoring off Ottawa giveaways.

That being said, the entire team seems to be in a mediocre cruise mode. Win a little, lose a little, ho-hum. Is Boyd considering a big deal? It feels like that. I am not a great fan of big deals as they are either big wins or big busts. I am just a schmo in the seats, cheering them on.

 

[OMG67]

I don't think a rival GM is going to go on the 67's Facebook page, see a post and go "Hmm maybe we should take a look at this guy."

Then who is it directed to? I really don’t think it’s the fans per se. It’s not like there were more than a half dozen on here bitching. There could be some people at the rink of course but again, only a handful would know enough to bitch.

I think this is a nudge towards the league. “Pay attention” sort of thing. If they weren’t paying close attention, maybe they should. If they gave up on looking at him as an option, maybe they should re-engage.

I understand what you are saying and if we take that literally, of course that isn’t the case but if teams had started to tell the 67’s Donoso isn’t an option for them because of the slow start, this is the nudge publicly to take a closer look again.

 

[OMG67]

Well, Schmo, I don't disagree. Donoso strings together great games and then, drops a bomb in the middle of one. The Windsor game was as dispiriting effort from the whole team, given they were playing the worst team bar none in the League. A team with a -54 goal differential. I don't put that on Donoso so much as a lacklustre effort in general. The first Windsor goal was pitiful and they just kept scoring off Ottawa giveaways.

That being said, the entire team seems to be in a mediocre cruise mode. Win a little, lose a little, ho-hum. Is Boyd considering a big deal? It feels like that. I am not a great fan of big deals as they are either big wins or big busts. I am just a schmo in the seats, cheering them on.

It is REALLY hard to read this team because the league in generally is sagging this season.

I feel, and have said it many times, the lack of depth at centre is hurting a lot. It is really hard to generate consistent offence without depth at centre. Lawrence has been out for a couple weeks now. You can see then struggling to score now. It is not like he is a scoring catalyst but the depth on the wings is enough to make up for a mediocre centre like Lawrence. That same depth isn’t enough to make up for the lack of experience of Whitehead and virtually zero offensive capabilities of Barlas (as a centre).

You can see Stonehouse still all Over the ice doing what he normally does but he isn’t getting the puck fed to him in tight for garbage goals like he did last year. That is a product of not having a viable centre. He started to turn it around with Lawrence but now back with Barlas or Whitehead, you can see his scoring chances are coming off the shot from he slot, not from the crease.

The 67’s were on a 3 in 3 this past weekend with one game on the road. Not ideal. Windsor beat Peterborough on Thursday and they fired their coach which usually results in a surge of sorts, at least in the short term.

 

[NordiquesForeva]

It is REALLY hard to read this team because the league in generally is sagging this season.

I feel, and have said it many times, the lack of depth at centre is hurting a lot. It is really hard to generate consistent offence without depth at centre. Lawrence has been out for a couple weeks now. You can see then struggling to score now. It is not like he is a scoring catalyst but the depth on the wings is enough to make up for a mediocre centre like Lawrence. That same depth isn’t enough to make up for the lack of experience of Whitehead and virtually zero offensive capabilities of Barlas (as a centre).

You can see Stonehouse still all Over the ice doing what he normally does but he isn’t getting the puck fed to him in tight for garbage goals like he did last year. That is a product of not having a viable centre. He started to turn it around with Lawrence but now back with Barlas or Whitehead, you can see his scoring chances are coming off the shot from he slot, not from the crease.

The 67’s were on a 3 in 3 this past weekend with one game on the road. Not ideal. Windsor beat Peterborough on Thursday and they fired their coach which usually results in a surge of sorts, at least in the short term.

The 67s rarely (if ever) post content with that sort of tone on social media and I certainly raised an eyebrow when I saw it.

 

[OMG67]

The 67s rarely (if ever) post content with that sort of tone on social media and I certainly raised an eyebrow when I saw it.

Another reason why I also raised an eyebrow. You don’t typically point fingers at the fans which is why I think it went out to the league. That one was a complete, “I told you so!”

 

[beastintheeast]

There isn’t much left in the form of teams buying if no one in the East makes a real push. Petes can’t make a push of more than one player. they don’t have the assets. That’s not much of a push. If Ottawa tries to sell and rebuild, Sudbury doesn’t make a push and Missy jsut nibbles, that pretty much locks out the Eastern conference from the trade market.

Kitchener and Saginaw seem to be the only two likely to push hard. Maybe SSM and Guelph enter the fold But I doubt both will. London has made moves over the course of the last two years in an effort to be competitive but not stacking up for one particular season Or at least that isn’t this year or next.

You say it is a two or three horse race in the East but I would suggest it is really a no horse race if no one makes a serious push. With so few teams in your scenario making a serious push, only a small handful of significant trades will even happen. I can’t see that being the case.

There has to be at least one team in the East, likely two that make a serious push because they will see an open window and will jump right through it. This is the whole entire point for Ottawa. If they are one of two teams making a push, they theoretically place themselves in a 50-50 shot at going tot he Championship Final and if that ends up being agaisnt Saginaw, they are int he Memorial Cup. You have to think other teams are looking at it the same way and are jsut waiting for the first shoe to drop before they decide whether they are in or out.

If, and that is still an “if,” Ottawa were to make a couple moves, they could nibble and still potentially come away significantly better. Move out Donoso and place full confidence in MacK to remain healthy. Use two open OA spots on a Centre and RH D-Man. Add a winger with some size. They’d have to part with assets but not anywhere near what they did last year. Again, IF they can swing those deals and it wouldn’t’ cost much, I think it is plausible to make a run. If they are unable to do it cheaply, then I agree we should not be pushing the chips in the middle. It is better to strategically make a few seller moves. BUT, if that is the case, I would look to move Stonehouse and Mayich as well as Donoso. I may even consider moving Gerrior if there is a severe market to him. If next year’s squad is not of a championship calibre and we feel the 25-26 season is more realistic, moves made now should support that squad.

Fully agree I

My outlook on the east

Sudbury BUYER
This may be the point where their fans are going to decide what they do. With the lineup they have presently this team should be at the top it is missing leadership and a team mentality. I think you will see a mega deal here so that they can bring in a pair of players that can change the dressing room. If not then the coach has to go

Petes -STATUS QUO LIMITED SELLER
second best winning percentage in the league Maybe trade a couple of players but they are not going to ruin the team

Missi STATUS QUO / NIBBLER
They have a full lineup coming back next year With an open OA slot I still do not see them buying or selling players.

Kingston LIMITED BUYER OR SELLER
The fronts have the parts with the coaching they now have. Springer and Cooper have to look at a few things. The first thing you have to wonder is how long is Mann going to be there. I know that is a scary thought but if he is able to turn this team around he may get offers.
The second is that they really do not have a proven backup goalie and the defence while getting better is still weak.
That being said they have an abundance of centers so trading Ludwinksi if the offer is right may not be a bad thing

Springer could also look at the way the team is and decide that miss is going to be too strong next year and decide to go for it. Hoping to prove that the league was wrong in not awarding the M Cup to them.

Ottawa STATUS QUO AVAILABLE SELLER MAYBE NIBBLER
No offence but this team is a mess. The team is playing with a maximum number of players with no one in the stands to switch out.

Our top 3 D are good but the rest are proving to be mid-card

They have to look at the team and what we have. The only real trade assets are Stonehouse and Mayich. Donoso is avail but I'm not sure anyone is going to want him unless really cheap.
However, if we trade either one then we have a problem of not enough players.

There are too many holes in the lineup to really make any trades and still recoup lost draft picks.
however, if they can get an OA center to move Barlas back to the wing for late-round draft picks then it might be worth it.

Brantford SELLER
Xhekaj and Donavan in their last years I see them being traded. Lardis has an outside chance of being traded

NB SELLER STATUS QUO

They are also a ream that is gong to need to refill the cupboard. They have probably the hottest goalie avail to trade.

Barrie STATUS QUO

Looking at other teams they really do not have much to offer and will have most of the band coming back next year.


Oshawa NIAGARA STATUS QUO

First, i don't think either team has a lot to offer in the way of major trade trade
Both oare rebuilding for either next yer or the year after.

 

[beastintheeast]

Well, Schmo, I don't disagree. Donoso strings together great games and then, drops a bomb in the middle of one. The Windsor game was as dispiriting effort from the whole team, given they were playing the worst team bar none in the League. A team with a -54 goal differential. I don't put that on Donoso so much as a lacklustre effort in general. The first Windsor goal was pitiful and they just kept scoring off Ottawa giveaways.

That being said, the entire team seems to be in a mediocre cruise mode. Win a little, lose a little, ho-hum. Is Boyd considering a big deal? It feels like that. I am not a great fan of big deals as they are either big wins or big busts. I am just a schmo in the seats, cheering them on.

The challenge has been who needs an OA starter goalie. Most of the teams have a good starting goalie or are developing them. In the case of the bottom 4 teams what difference will he make? Also we still have NB and De Vin and what he is going to do.

There just is not a market for a starting goalie. I would think that if Kingston decides to go for it this year they might be interested but again that puts Donoso in a backup or platoon spot.

 

[OMG67]

Beast, I don’t understand the not enough players if we make trades comment.

We have 12 rostered forwards now that Uronen is out for the year. Sirman is back in less than a month and Yanni is signed to an affiliate card. That gives us 14 players. If we trade Stonehouse, we still have 13 forwards.

We have eight rostered D-Men (assuming Sirman returns as a forward). We have Dietsch signed to an affiliate card and he did look good when he played his games. Clearly the depth of defence is why he isn‘t on the roster yet.

We have Nelson on an affiliate card. Although I agree Nelson should finish the season with Navan, he likley forfeits 16 games if he joins the team post deadline. He would likely play 8 games when looking at the 67’s schedule post deadline. That means he sacrifices 8 games but he practises at the OHL level. As much as I’d prefer to see him finish the year with Navan, I don’t think it would be overly detrimental for him to play the back half of the season with the 67’s. That is assuming the 67’s are unable to pick up a backup goalie on the cheap (which backups usually are).

I see no reason to believe this team cannot make trades at every position if they choose to. We traded away Ethan Quick last year for a 7th round pick at the deadline. if we need a depth forward, we can trade a mid-round pick in that 7-9 range for a warm body If they don’t feel Yanni is capable.

Ideally, we only trade Stonehouse and Donoso if we are “selling.” If we feel we can move a player like Smyth at a decent return because we have enough depth at defence, then so be it. I think he’d be worth more keeping him than trading him though. Whatever we can get for him now, we can likely come close to getting next year at the beginning of the season. May as well keep him unless we can score a 3rd round pick or better.

 

[OMG67]

The challenge has been who needs an OA starter goalie. Most of the teams have a good starting goalie or are developing them. In the case of the bottom 4 teams what difference will he make? Also we still have NB and De Vin and what he is going to do.

There just is not a market for a starting goalie. I would think that if Kingston decides to go for it this year they might be interested but again that puts Donoso in a backup or platoon spot.

It really depends on where teams sit closer to the deadline. Even teams like Sudbury with no open OA spots can shuffle OA’s if they feel an OA goalie is their best shot at solidifying their net. I feel DiVin is the best candidate for them but just sayin’.

A team like NB, if they trade DiVin, may want a guy like Donoso. If they were to go into seller mode and part with a couple of their good OA’s, they may want to shore up their net.

Flint is another team giving up too many goals. If they feel Day has lost confidence, they could look in that direction as a moderately cheap alternative. They can also move a good OA forward and probably end up with more picks than it takes to acquire Donoso.

Kingston has an OA spot available. Their back end could use better goaltending. I do like Vaccari but he is kinda small and if they decide to make a bit of a push to get more playoff games in to prepare for next year, they may want better goaltending.

Brantford has an OA spot open. If they have lost faith in Dorval, he is also an OA that could be replaced.

I think there are options out there. It is more a matter of waiting on teams to make a decision on what their goals are this year.

I don’t think it would happen but if the 67’s feel next year isn’t their year, is there any possibility they keep Donoso and flip MacK out? Far fetched, I know. BUT, what would his value be at the deadline? Imagine him sliding into Sudbury? Talk about an overnight turnaround in net for them.

 

[sirius67fan]

Look at this post on Facebook Les 67′s à nouveau dans la course de la Ligue de l’Ontario

Another great JF Plante article. The best writer in Junior Hockey, in my opinion.

The highlights:
1) Ottawa is looking to add an OA but the market is slow due to the parity of the league;

2) The Petes are lining up to sell Mayer and there is a rumour that Tucker Robertson may be sent back to Junior;

3) Chris Barlas and Charlie Hilton were out today due to family reasons;

4) Sudbury is expected to be very active buyers as this is their go for it year;

5) Tuomas Uronen is out for the year and Thomas Sirman may return before the Christmas break.

Thanks to JF for his coverage and for possibly answering the question about the 67’s being buyers this year. If they aren’t going to be buyers, why would they add an OA?

Buckle up!!

Very interesting Boyd admits to wanting to add an OA. What Plante writes about usually comes to pass. Hopefully we can get a center and a D OA's ( if they find a spot for Max). Maybe not much available now but at the deadline we might get some OA's cheap from bottom feeders wanting to reward a good soldier by sending them to a team in the mix ( like Barrie did with ??? ( forgetting name) the year we lost to Guelph. Are we gonna be light buyers after all ??

 

[OMG67]

Very interesting Boyd admits to wanting to add an OA. What Plante writes about usually comes to pass. Hopefully we can get a center and a D OA's ( if they find a spot for Max). Maybe not much available now but at the deadline we might get some OA's cheap from bottom feeders wanting to reward a good soldier by sending them to a team in the mix ( like Barrie did with ??? ( forgetting name) the year we lost to Guelph. Are we gonna be light buyers after all ??

That was my prediction the entire time. Use the OA spots to find reasonably priced gap filler OA’s. Find a spot for Max to play as a starter. Let the chips fall where they fall.

I was thinking they may free up Stonehouse if the market unfolds positively but there is no way Boyd would say that if he was thinking it. That potential portion of the equation may come to fruition but I think it is more unlikely than it is likely. I think Stonehouse would have to request an opportunity and I’m not sure he would do that. He already has a contract in hand so it’s not like he is trying to earn one.

 

[ohloutsider]

How about Donoso a 3rd and a 5th for Maillet and Michelone?

 

[OMG67]

How about Donoso a 3rd and a 5th for Maillet and Michelone?

I think something like that would be close. I’m not sure where Donoso’s value lies so I dont’ know how he would fit into the equation.

The question would be what Maillet is worth in this OA market. We saw Lockhart go for a 3rd and 5th. I ”think” Maillet is worth more so the Donoso inclusion eats the difference in value between Maillet and Lockhart.

The Michelone portion is pretty much just filler. It would give us an OHL backup instead of using our 16 year old. I’m not sure there is value added to the trade other than giving him a chance to play somewhere.

I think it is in the ballpark but not if Donoso does have a value of a 3rd and 5th himself (that is what they got for Cranley last year with Flint). Donoso is better than Cranley). I don’t think that’s the case in this market but it is hard to know what the OA goalie market looks like year to year.

 

[sirius67fan]

Question? Does anyone know now that Uronen is done for the year if we can add another import without releasing his rights or do we have to relinquish his rights. Just thinking Sobolev from Niagara might be a good fit on our second pairing.

 

[OMG67]

Question? Does anyone know now that Uronen is done for the year if we can add another import without releasing his rights or do we have to relinquish his rights. Just thinking Sobolev from Niagara might be a good fit on our second pairing.


I would absolutely do that trade.

We’d need to release his rights. We may need to wait until Jan 1 because he is a first year Import. That part I am not 100% certain about.

 

[SidSixpointSeven]

Smyth needs to move the puck quicker, player forechecks hard and he is in trouble. Not fleet of foot, so move the puck fast and avoid the giveaway passes. Horner very borderline OHL player.

Smyth also seems to on the ice for every goal against. Not fleet of foot is right - and he gets beaten wide consistently. Not overly physical either given his size and doesn't seem to scare anyone. Why Cameron continues to use him on the PP and PK (including 5 on 3) is truly baffling. Ewles is the closest thing we have to a #4 guy and even that is a stretch. Maybe when Sirman comes back he helps fill that void. Otherwise, package a couple of current D and a pick to upgrade.