Ottawa 67s 2024-25 Season Thread, Part I

[beastintheeast]

Goals are the problem. Good teams win one goal games. Bad teams lose them. It is a result of lack of scoring. We hit the logo quite a lot. Outside of Pinelli, Foster, Gerrior, and Ekberg, no one is really popping goals. Everyone else is on a pace for under 15.

But as you said a lot of them are rookies or support players. I think that everyone is right in that this team, if Boyd does not make a huge change, will eventually start winning these close games. Eventually, that inch either way gets smaller. The only challenge is that as we get better so will a lot of the other teams. Either way 1, one-goal games are usually exciting to watch and enjoy.

 

[mianjo]

67's up 1-0

Goal
#20 Luca Pinelli (8) scores. Assists: #29 Cooper Foster 1st 0:30

2-0

Goal
#20 Luca Pinelli (9) scores. 1st 3:27

 

[mianjo]

3-0


Goal
#10 Nic Whitehead (1) scores. 1st 10:09

 

[mianjo]

3-1

 

[mianjo]

4-1

Goal
#3 Josh Brady (1) scores. Assists: #18 Jack Dever 1:58

 

[mianjo]

5-1

Goal
#23 Will Gerrior (5) scores. Assists: #22 Matthew Mayich, #18 Jack Dever
2nd 13:5

 

[mianjo]

6-1

Goal
#20 Luca Pinelli (10) scores. Assists: #11 Henry Mews POWER PLAY
3rd 11:53

 

[mianjo]

67's win 6-3

Stars of the Game​

First
#20 Luca Pinelli LW
G 3A 0+/- 0Ottawa

Second
#33 Collin MacKenzie G
SH 45sv 42GA 3Ottawa

Third
#23 Will Gerrior LW
G 1A 1+/- +3Ottawa

 

[OMG67]

Uronen with 18 points in 13 games. Anyone still think Korbler was the right decision?

Keeping Korbler and trading Ironen was dumb. As mentioned, not only is Uronen the better player handily, he is a 19 year old. We can replace him with our 1st round Import pick. Keeping Korbler means we have to pass on our Import draft next year unless we waive him. If we waive him, it is no different than keeping Uronen with the exception of the 70 points difference in scoring.

This was a dumb decision all around unless Uronen also had zero interest in playing for Cameron.

 

[Fawlty]

Yes, I do wonder if the Uronen trade was requested by the player. I can't see how 67's management could not see more upside with a physically bigger NHL drafted player. No offense to Korbler as I do like him. Good to see them finally win again today at least.

 

[OMG67]

Yes, I do wonder if the Uronen trade was requested by the player. I can't see how 67's management could not see more upside with a physically bigger NHL drafted player. No offense to Korbler as I do like him. Good to see them finally win again today at least.

Korbler was given ample time as a first line winger last year, especially down the stretch and in the playoffs. He was placed there again this eyar with Pinelli and Foster to start the season. It seems clear to me that the coaching staff had high hopes for Korbler for whatever reason. IMO, they clearly chose him over Uronen based on the fact he was placed very highly on the depth chart ahead of other players with more impact.

Uronen may have requested an opportunity elsewhere but I think it is inconsequential to the decision on Korbler.

 

[sirius67fan]

Korbler was given ample time as a first line winger last year, especially down the stretch and in the playoffs. He was placed there again this eyar with Pinelli and Foster to start the season. It seems clear to me that the coaching staff had high hopes for Korbler for whatever reason. IMO, they clearly chose him over Uronen based on the fact he was placed very highly on the depth chart ahead of other players with more impact.

Uronen may have requested an opportunity elsewhere but I think it is inconsequential to the decision on Korbler.

Yes as of now it looks like a bad choice. I do admit I was one who supported keeping Korbler as opposite to you I saw potential last year and he was one year younger.. Also in my defense we had a very limited sample on Uronen. Look if Korbler comes back and lights it up it's a different conversation. However I am worried as Korbler showed nothing before he was injured. So I might have been wrong. However if he doesn't pan out just pick another import ( we would have lost Uronen anyway). At the end of ths day with this team I don't think Uronen would have moved the needle that much anyway.

 

[OMG67]

Yes as of now it looks like a bad choice. I do admit I was one who supported keeping Korbler as opposite to you I saw potential last year and he was one year younger.. Also in my defense we had a very limited sample on Uronen. Look if Korbler comes back and lights it up it's a different conversation. However I am worried as Korbler showed nothing before he was injured. So I might have been wrong. However if he doesn't pan out just pick another import ( we would have lost Uronen anyway). At the end of ths day with this team I don't think Uronen would have moved the needle that much anyway.

Another point per game RW would have been a game changer for Ottawa. When you are losing by a goal a lot, you can look there and see your goal.

 

[sirius67fan]

Another point per game RW would have been a game changer for Ottawa. When you are losing by a goal a lot, you can look there and see your goal.

Perhaps but in the greater picture we're still a middling team. Personally I prefer it's crystal clear for Boyd at the deadline. I don't want a grey area where he decides not to do a limited sell as I think it's necessary. Besides I wouldn't mind a high draft pick as long as we're reasonably competitivs and the kids develop.

 

[beastintheeast]

Uronen with 18 points in 13 games. Anyone still think Korbler was the right decision?

Keeping Korbler and trading Ironen was dumb. As mentioned, not only is Uronen the better player handily, he is a 19 year old. We can replace him with our 1st round Import pick. Keeping Korbler means we have to pass on our Import draft next year unless we waive him. If we waive him, it is no different than keeping Uronen with the exception of the 70 points difference in scoring.

This was a dumb decision all around unless Uronen also had zero interest in playing for Cameron.

Isn't hindsight a wonderful thing? While I see your point, no one could have known what he would have had here . Also, don't forget he has some pretty good players and a real center in Guindon to feed him. Part of the deal with Uronen might also have been to play with his friend Pie. As you said we do not know what was said or asked for by the players.

If we are building, then Korbler has a larger upside. Remember he has been injured most of the year, is playing with a different coach and system, and is not currently getting Uronen's ice time.

Before we condemn him it might be an idea to see what happens when he comes back.

Remember, Korbler got a few more minutes last year, but he was a rookie. This year, he is an injured sophomore.

Perhaps but in the greater picture we're still a middling team. Personally I prefer it's crystal clear for Boyd at the deadline. I don't want a grey area where he decides not to do a limited sell as I think it's necessary. Besides I wouldn't mind a high draft pick as long as we're reasonably competitivs and the kids develop.

Yeah last thing we need with this team is Boyd and Cameron seeing a competitive team and looking at 4th place and making buyer moves.

 

[beastintheeast]

This weekend is a PLUS for this team. It is a HUGE WIN in my books.

It used to be that if you came out of the North swing with 3 points it was a good thing.

We did not come out with 3 points but what we did do was see a team develop. They held 2 good teams to 1 goal loss and outshot them. From the highlights, I saw a team in Sudbury that was making the passes, taking fewer shots and getting goals. Al also from the stats hav the feeling that MacK was back tohis old self along with Mews and Pinelli at least for this game.

Whitehead had 1 points and was PLUS 3 on the night.
Barlas was over 50% on face-offs and took the most of them.

Let's see how they do I am not expecting them to start winning streaks, but the other intangible of the Northern Swing is that there are no outside interferences, and the players are forced to spend all day and night with each other for the better part of 4 days. This gives them a good chance to talk and get to know each other Bonding is a good thing.

 

[sirius67fan]

This weekend is a PLUS for this team. It is a HUGE WIN in my books.

It used to be that if you came out of the North swing with 3 points it was a good thing.

We did not come out with 3 points but what we did do was see a team develop. They held 2 good teams to 1 goal loss and outshot them. From the highlights, I saw a team in Sudbury that was making the passes, taking fewer shots and getting goals. Al also from the stats hav the feeling that MacK was back tohis old self along with Mews and Pinelli at least for this game.

Whitehead had 1 points and was PLUS 3 on the night.
Barlas was over 50% on face-offs and took the most of them.

Let's see how they do I am not expecting them to start winning streaks, but the other intangible of the Northern Swing is that there are no outside interferences, and the players are forced to spend all day and night with each other for the better part of 4 days. This gives them a good chance to talk and get to know each other Bonding is a good thing.

Yes Mac looked like he did before his groin issues last year. The confidence is back. If healthy he'll steal games for us.

Also liked that they play Whitehead with Gerrior and Dever. They carried the play all night.

 

[OMG67]

Isn't hindsight a wonderful thing? While I see your point, no one could have known what he would have had here . Also, don't forget he has some pretty good players and a real center in Guindon to feed him. Part of the deal with Uronen might also have been to play with his friend Pie. As you said we do not know what was said or asked for by the players.

If we are building, then Korbler has a larger upside. Remember he has been injured most of the year, is playing with a different coach and system, and is not currently getting Uronen's ice time.

Before we condemn him it might be an idea to see what happens when he comes back.

Remember, Korbler got a few more minutes last year, but he was a rookie. This year, he is an injured sophomore.


Yeah last thing we need with this team is Boyd and Cameron seeing a competitive team and looking at 4th place and making buyer moves.

Yeah, I think that’s pretty inaccurate.

I had made a very strong case as to why Korbler is a waste of space. All but about 2 of his points were scored against teams finishing 8th or worse in their Conference. So, he only managed to score against the weak teams. The amount of ice time he got with the top line last year and he couldn’t even pick up a handful of secondary assists bs the middling and top teams speaks loudly of his ineffectiveness in the offensive zone at even strength. He simply had very few puck touches and wasn’t involved in the play.

Uronen was an NHL draft pick that was significantly bigger than the very small Korbler. He was also the 1st round Import pick. Those two factors alone create a significant differentiator.

To cap it off, any investment in Korbler requires the 67s to pass on their next Import pick which is likely to fall inside the top 20. It has been a while since Ottawa has picked inside the top 20. The last time they did they picked Rossi. With Ottawa’s strong connections in Europe, I am reasonably certain they will nail down a better player than Korbler with that pick. He’ll, Elbert was picked in the middle of the 1st and look what we got there vs a player picked a dozen or more spots higher.

On top of all that, if this were to turn out to be a rebuild year as predicted, trading Uronen at the deadline would be far more valuable than the offseason.

These are all the same arguments I made in the summer. To me, keeping Korbler over Utonen made no sense at all. I don’t think anyone can make an argument for keeping him. Not one solid point. The main one people point to is his age. He will be 19 next year. We won’t compete next year. Who cares? Even if it is a wash competitively between him as a 19 year old and the new 17 year old, it means our next competitive window will open with his replacement instead of a 19 year old Elbert coupled with an 18 year old 2025 pick.

Again, zero reason to keep Korbler over Uronen. So, unless Uronen demanded a trade (possible), there was no reason to make this poor of a decision.

 

[Larionov]

That would mean you expected the team to be a contender this year!

I am both an incurable optimist and a demanding #$%$. I want my team to win every night, and be competitive every year. Basically I want us to be the London Knights, where a "down year" is defined as losing in the Conference Finals. If that's unrealistic, then call me unrealistic...

 

[ScoutLife4]

Yeah, I think that’s pretty inaccurate.

I had made a very strong case as to why Korbler is a waste of space. All but about 2 of his points were scored against teams finishing 8th or worse in their Conference. So, he only managed to score against the weak teams. The amount of ice time he got with the top line last year and he couldn’t even pick up a handful of secondary assists bs the middling and top teams speaks loudly of his ineffectiveness in the offensive zone at even strength. He simply had very few puck touches and wasn’t involved in the play.

Uronen was an NHL draft pick that was significantly bigger than the very small Korbler. He was also the 1st round Import pick. Those two factors alone create a significant differentiator.

To cap it off, any investment in Korbler requires the 67s to pass on their next Import pick which is likely to fall inside the top 20. It has been a while since Ottawa has picked inside the top 20. The last time they did they picked Rossi. With Ottawa’s strong connections in Europe, I am reasonably certain they will nail down a better player than Korbler with that pick. He’ll, Elbert was picked in the middle of the 1st and look what we got there vs a player picked a dozen or more spots higher.

On top of all that, if this were to turn out to be a rebuild year as predicted, trading Uronen at the deadline would be far more valuable than the offseason.

These are all the same arguments I made in the summer. To me, keeping Korbler over Utonen made no sense at all. I don’t think anyone can make an argument for keeping him. Not one solid point. The main one people point to is his age. He will be 19 next year. We won’t compete next year. Who cares? Even if it is a wash competitively between him as a 19 year old and the new 17 year old, it means our next competitive window will open with his replacement instead of a 19 year old Elbert coupled with an 18 year old 2025 pick.

Again, zero reason to keep Korbler over Uronen. So, unless Uronen demanded a trade (possible), there was no reason to make this poor of a decision.

They didn't have an option to hold onto Uronen.
It was trade him or he wasn't coming period and was going back home to play pro.

 

[OMG67]

I am both an incurable optimist and a demanding #$%$. I want my team to win every night, and be competitive every year. Basically I want us to be the London Knights, where a "down year" is defined as losing in the Conference Finals. If that's unrealistic, then call me unrealistic...

That’s awesome. I wish I had your tenacity! Love it!

They didn't have an option to hold onto Uronen.
It was trade him or he wasn't coming period and was going back home to play pro.

So we add Uronen to the growing list of “I don’t want to play there” players.

 

[OMG67]

The Petes waived Sztuska. He is now in the QMJHL. He’s a pretty decent goalie. If the 67s choose to keep the skaters, don’t expect a return for MacK.

 

[dirty12]

That’s awesome. I wish I had your tenacity! Love it!



So we add Uronen to the growing list of “I don’t want to play there” players.

Was it another player not wanting to play for the ‘67s, or Uronen wanting to be with another Finn that he knows? He certainly struggles with the English language.

 

[ScoutLife4]

Was it another player not wanting to play for the ‘67s, or Uronen wanting to be with another Finn that he knows? He certainly struggles with the English language.

It was a player that didn't want to stay and picked his destination.

 

[OMG67]

Let’s take a look at the rebuild angle. Next year will be bad. There is no way around it. Our 2007 draft was really poor. If Mews is traded, which seems likely, that pretty much leaves us with Marrelli as the only impactful player from that draft. Brady and Kelly may still be on the tema next year but I don’t think either would be considered impactful. There are a lot of people that pile on Barlas so if you are piling on Barlas, you obviously are going to pile on Brady and Kelly. So, we have two years to reconfigure the roster and move forward for the 2026-27 season. What do we have? That also significantly impacts our ability to sell off next year. If Mews is traded this year, who do we trade next year that has any value? I don’t see anyone unless we move Marrelli and I see him as a potential Captain next year.

Amidovski - Whitehead - Ekberg
Houben - Vandenberg - Yanni
XX - Perrier - XX

Marrelli (OA) - Eshkawkogan
Dietsch - XX
Bonomo - XX

Nelson
Conway

NOTE: I added Vandenberg. With the pending rule change for CHL/NCAA, I think he may be a strong report possibility. And, if he doesn’t, I think the 67’s will get someone that can step in somewhere.

Notice we only have one IMPORT in the mix as well as one OA. So, we have three slots for premium players. We are likely to draft an Import early this coming summer so we should be able to insert a quality player. Same with adding two OA’s VIA trading for a ‘07 or two that season or a trade leading up to that season with them sticking as OAs in mind.

Of course, we need to see some development. But, I see Whitehead pushing through his curve now. The last couple games, Houben has been playing less as a contributing playmaker and more as a physical force. I think that bodes well for him. Use the body first. Charge in to push guys around and allow yourself time to catch up on skill. At least make yourself useful as a big body presence in the meantime. I think he is starting to get that aspect of the game and that being a way for him to be a presence.

If we trade Pinelli and Mews, what are we looking for? I think we are looking for some sort of combination of RW (both Ekberg and Yanni are left shot), right shooting Centres, and right side D-Men. There is some size mixed in there but I think the next two drafts will see Boyd prioritize bigger players in the first round. When you draft top 7-8, you normally get a little bit of choice in that regard.

We are missing some picks in 2026. Look for Boyd to fill in those gaps with the sell-off trades this season.

As Boyd makes moves leading up to the deadline, it will be interesting to see how he fills in some of these gaps with young bodies instead of the draft picks.