Ottawa 67s 2024-25 Season Thread, Part III
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beastintheeast
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- Mar 27, 2013
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I hear what you are saying. The challenge will be whether they want to return to the OHL and Ottawa.
That will be a long process, and the USHL will not like losing players, so we will fight that. Therefore, kids not coming here will have other reasons.
The draft, on the other hand, is a separate issue. Boyd will be told directly by agents' parents, and we will find out almost as soon as the kid is drafted if he is going to report.
An extreme would be if we get number 1 and Boyd drafts player number 5, with player 1 going to the next team to draft.
As I said, DC is a good coach, Boyd is supposed to be a good GM, and Ottawa has always had a great reputation with scouts, other teams, and agents.
There has to be a reason they do not want to be traded here or want to leave. We saw this in Kingston with Mav, where he was told that player development was the reason players didn't want to report.
That will be a long process, and the USHL will not like losing players, so we will fight that. Therefore, kids not coming here will have other reasons.
The draft, on the other hand, is a separate issue. Boyd will be told directly by agents' parents, and we will find out almost as soon as the kid is drafted if he is going to report.
An extreme would be if we get number 1 and Boyd drafts player number 5, with player 1 going to the next team to draft.
As I said, DC is a good coach, Boyd is supposed to be a good GM, and Ottawa has always had a great reputation with scouts, other teams, and agents.
There has to be a reason they do not want to be traded here or want to leave. We saw this in Kingston with Mav, where he was told that player development was the reason players didn't want to report.
OMG67
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The draft is not a separate issue. It is the same issue. The only issue is what draft year we are talking about. Where do you think players will go if not to Ottawa? It is all the same situation. Either we can get players to report or we won’t.
The USHL and NCAA programs are not our concern. Our concern is the 67’s program. The OHL has far more to offer than the USHL. It really isn’t close. Compensation alone is a big deal, not to mention travel times between games etc. Higher profile league with better overall talent. The only advantage of the USHL is it is more appropriate for the 16 year olds. They aren’t overmatched quite as much as they are in the OHL.
The 67’s organization is a class organization. We are not and should not be concerned about 90% of the players available in the draft. The issue is the players that are NCAA Plan “A” and American born kids in high end programs. They would traditionally stay at home and run the USHL/NCAA path. If we want to be more highly competitive, it is that player pool we want to tap into so we can gain a competitive advantage.
I am not concerned about having the #1 pick and the top rated player not wanting to play in Ottawa. Although it may be possible, it is more like a player wanting a specific team, not “anywhere but Ottawa.” For example, I could see a scenario where Ottawa is picking 3rd and Guelph is picking 4th and the 3rd ranked player is from the Kitchener/Waterloo area and wants to play at home preferring to play in Guelph. However, I cannot see a scenario where it is Ottawa, Guelph, Owen Sound, and Peterborough in the bottom four with SSM, NB, and Sarnia in the 5-7 slot where top rated players are shunning the 67’s to go to one of those other six destinations. Again, maybe a specific player may prefer to play close to home and not want to be in Ottawa but that is a one off and Dave Cameron isn’t the impact on that decision.
The whole point of this Dave Cameron “recruiting” angle has nothing to do with the overwhelming majority of players in the OHL draft. It is solely focused on the “hard to recruit no matter what OHL team drafts them” kinda kids that are typically Americans playing in Prep Schools and higher end US Programs that are candidates for the USNTDP. THOSE are the players Ottawa needs to be better positioned to recruit. There are some canadian kids as well but I think the Canadian kids will mostly all fall in line, especially if the USHL starts to lose credibility with more players reporting to CHL teams which weakens that league.
ecraigs
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- Dec 6, 2013
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It was interesting yesterday and Saturday to watch a couple of players who seemed to be trying to make a point. On any Kingston goal when he was on the ice, Uronen was waving his arms and cupping his ear with his glove, for some unknown reason. I think the coaches had a talk with him because, in the third period, that stopped and there was an interesting interaction between Uronen and Whitehead after the latter scored. Like a tap on the shin and a friendly word. I have no idea what that was about.
Yesterday, Parekh had the same thing going on. Maybe, it was "hey, Dave, I should have been on the WJC team."? If so, he was right.
Yesterday, Parekh had the same thing going on. Maybe, it was "hey, Dave, I should have been on the WJC team."? If so, he was right.
I noticed Uronen's gesture after scoring and took it to mean he was having a shot at the 67's fans usually it's done in response to being booed earlier in the game. As in "I don't hear much from you now." It's kind of annoying how often ex-67s players seem to come back to haunt us. I'm thinking Stonehouse might also when the Petes roll into town next. Based on how MacKenzie is playing lately, I wish the team had kept Stonehouse and traded MacKenzie but they probably considered him (Stonehouse) to be a better return and expected better play from MacKenzie than we're seeing. No-one on the 67s plays that agitator role now and the team misses that. Pretty anemic, intimidating nobody and getting physically beaten up most games is not fun to watch.
swoopster
Politally incorrect
"It is solely focused on the “hard to recruit no matter what OHL team drafts them” kinda kids that are typically Americans playing in Prep Schools and higher end US Programs that are candidates for the USNTDP. THOSE are the players Ottawa needs to be better positioned to recruit."... OMG67
Well stated OMG. There will be a certain comfort level advantage given to the US based as well as Canadian border OHL neighbors Sarnia, Windsor and Niagara OHL teams, but that will change in time. London has done well with attracting US players. It's a matter of selling both the league, program, its history, and the city of Ottawa as an enticing place for a US player to develop.
Well stated OMG. There will be a certain comfort level advantage given to the US based as well as Canadian border OHL neighbors Sarnia, Windsor and Niagara OHL teams, but that will change in time. London has done well with attracting US players. It's a matter of selling both the league, program, its history, and the city of Ottawa as an enticing place for a US player to develop.
McKenzie had zero trade value and would have cleared waivers.
No one wanted him.
OMG67
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That’s correct. That is where reputation and having a sexy coach comes into play when recruiting. So, the question facing the 67’s is considering the black cloud hanging over Dave Cameron, what is the likelihood we will have access to those players? I think that is the question we are currently speculating on.
Can Ottawa make a pitch to players like:
Cole McKinney (USNTDP) Committed to Michigan for 2025-26 (NHL 2nd round ranking)
Asher Barnett (USNTDP) Committed to Michigan 2026-27 (NHL mid round ranking)
Brayden Krawczyk (Mount St Charles Academy)
Thomas Vandenberg (USHL)
These are four particular players that you have to think the 67’s are going to target from the 2023 and 2024 drafts. What does Ottawa need to do to reel these players in? Admittedly, McKinney will be a very tough sign considering it is Michigan and he is committed for this coming fall but we need to be competitive with that offer.
I think Boyd prioritized keeping the four players in the league. To do that, he had to move Stonehouse if/when the deal involving Mayich fell through (involving Pinelli).
I think had Boyd decided to do what was best for Ottawa with respect to wins/losses, he’d have waived MacKenzie.
Logosarejusttargets
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- Jan 3, 2023
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Uronen was pissed off at the way he was treated by Ottawa during his injuries and over the off season. He was traded and heard from Kingston before Ottawa even reached out to him.
Did you suck this out from your knuckles?
Uronen could have surgery and rehab in Finland, even tough the OHL insurance covers just the amount of the cost, what it would be in Canada.67‘s covered the rest out of their own pocket.
If you call this bad treatment, you really have a problem.
Funny, all the BS written out of the Kingston corner lately
East Avenue Bully
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- Jan 9, 2020
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There's also the connections a GM (and a GM's dad) can utilize to leverage the NCAA rule change.
I'm looking at the Kitchener Rangers and 2/3 of their top line players came over from this rule change (Pridham from the BCHL and Humphreys from Michigan).
Plus more throughout the roster and in GOJHL etc dev farm league teams (Xu from Harvard, Ellis etc).
Vector Calculus
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- Sep 20, 2024
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Looks like Dever is back, but playing the wing; we had heard it was an arm injury so maybe they are sheltering him from draws. Ekberg on the top line. Körbler playing on the 4th line is the lowest we’ve ever seen. My kids like to joke that he has gotten preferential treatment all year because he is the coach’s son…guess that shine is finally wearing.
Houben still at centre. He played about a billion minutes last game and looked pretty decent I thought. Will be interesting to see how he looks today (not that he will get a ton of help from Yanni and Kelly). Nelson starts tonight and maybe he gets 2 of 3 this weekend.
OMG67
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Let’s take a look at next year. We have so many eligible ‘07s now that are either full card players or affiliates. Obviously there won’t be enough room for all of them, especially with so many left shots but I will try to anchor to 100% on roster guys and debate the potential on roster guys.
Ekberg - Foster(OA) -
Barlas(OA) - Dever(OA) - Kelly
Amidovski - Whitehead -
This is what I have as the mostly guaranteed forwards. In addition to those forwards, they also have:
‘06
Souliere
‘07s
Bowes
Kingwell
Yanni
Houben
‘08s
Perrier - NOTE: I believe he’s been injured since around late October. Not sure of his status.
Krawczyk(unsigned)
Vandenberg(unsigned and committed to Providence for 2027-28)
Marrelli -
Jackson - Eshkawkogan
Dietsch - Brady
I’m not sure how that depth chart on the right slide will shape up so I am leaving it as is being lined up right now.
‘07s
Avila
White
‘08s
Bonomo
Conor Dervin(unsigned)
Barnett(unsigned - USNTDP) **NOTE: we also drafted his older brother Asher Barnett (D - ‘07 - Committed to Michigan for 2026-27). They both play USNTDP
Nelson
We have some other goalies but I really don’t think any of them factor in right now.
1> As is typical for the past few seasons, we are short down the middle. I think we are somewhat forced to maintain Dever and Foster at centre but having two OA’s doesn’t help if next year is another development season. I think we need to find another centre somehow (maybe Ekberg shifts there) and roll Dever over to the right side on line one.
2> That first D-Pairing is light on the right side. Theoretically, Eshkawkogan can play 1st pair but I am not sure Brady ont he 2nd pair makes a lot of sense.
3> We do have an Import slot available. I think maybe looking at that RD slot makes a lot of sense. Either that or centre. But, going after a 17 year old likely won’t solve either of those needs. The player will likely be underdeveloped as a 17 year old to play those types of minutes.
4> We should get a high pick. I’m obviously advocating for missing the playoffs and hopefully we get a higher impact player in the top 3. But, I think if I am dropping $$$, I’d say they likely finish 8th. It will be close but that’s the way I am leaning. That gives us the 5th or 6th pick the way things are shaping up now. Doesn’t look like there will be expansion for next season.
5> We are short a backup but maybe we can nail one down in the 1st round of the U-18 draft? Or, maybe we get a nice surprise coming out of camp?
6> The OA situation is interesting. I am hoping Dever ends up on RW. I’m not sure I keep Barlas. Not because I don’t like the player. More so that we have a lot of younger LW and maybe Barlas is redundant. Handing his spot to a younger player like Amidovski, Souliere or Yanni may make more sense.
7> I really don’t know where Houben fits in. He may be the big wild card next season. His sating is improving but he is not a centre. HE needs to patrol the boards with more authority. That is the element that he and his size are missing. He needs a mean streak and I fear he doesn’t have that in him. He mostly plays like he is 5’10”.
Ekberg - Foster(OA) -
Barlas(OA) - Dever(OA) - Kelly
Amidovski - Whitehead -
This is what I have as the mostly guaranteed forwards. In addition to those forwards, they also have:
‘06
Souliere
‘07s
Bowes
Kingwell
Yanni
Houben
‘08s
Perrier - NOTE: I believe he’s been injured since around late October. Not sure of his status.
Krawczyk(unsigned)
Vandenberg(unsigned and committed to Providence for 2027-28)
Marrelli -
Jackson - Eshkawkogan
Dietsch - Brady
I’m not sure how that depth chart on the right slide will shape up so I am leaving it as is being lined up right now.
‘07s
Avila
White
‘08s
Bonomo
Conor Dervin(unsigned)
Barnett(unsigned - USNTDP) **NOTE: we also drafted his older brother Asher Barnett (D - ‘07 - Committed to Michigan for 2026-27). They both play USNTDP
Nelson
We have some other goalies but I really don’t think any of them factor in right now.
1> As is typical for the past few seasons, we are short down the middle. I think we are somewhat forced to maintain Dever and Foster at centre but having two OA’s doesn’t help if next year is another development season. I think we need to find another centre somehow (maybe Ekberg shifts there) and roll Dever over to the right side on line one.
2> That first D-Pairing is light on the right side. Theoretically, Eshkawkogan can play 1st pair but I am not sure Brady ont he 2nd pair makes a lot of sense.
3> We do have an Import slot available. I think maybe looking at that RD slot makes a lot of sense. Either that or centre. But, going after a 17 year old likely won’t solve either of those needs. The player will likely be underdeveloped as a 17 year old to play those types of minutes.
4> We should get a high pick. I’m obviously advocating for missing the playoffs and hopefully we get a higher impact player in the top 3. But, I think if I am dropping $$$, I’d say they likely finish 8th. It will be close but that’s the way I am leaning. That gives us the 5th or 6th pick the way things are shaping up now. Doesn’t look like there will be expansion for next season.
5> We are short a backup but maybe we can nail one down in the 1st round of the U-18 draft? Or, maybe we get a nice surprise coming out of camp?
6> The OA situation is interesting. I am hoping Dever ends up on RW. I’m not sure I keep Barlas. Not because I don’t like the player. More so that we have a lot of younger LW and maybe Barlas is redundant. Handing his spot to a younger player like Amidovski, Souliere or Yanni may make more sense.
7> I really don’t know where Houben fits in. He may be the big wild card next season. His sating is improving but he is not a centre. HE needs to patrol the boards with more authority. That is the element that he and his size are missing. He needs a mean streak and I fear he doesn’t have that in him. He mostly plays like he is 5’10”.
beastintheeast
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Ekberg - Foster(OA) -Dever(OA)
Yanni - Whitehead- Kelly
Houben - Amidovski - Horner (OA)
Barlas(OA) here we go again with merry go round
To me you draft and put players in places The challenge is that any player that played USHL is going to want to be on top 3 at least and get minutes.
Ekberg and Foster are wild cards to me as to whether they come back
Ekberg can not be happy with the ice time that he got with Cameron nor the fact that he dropped out of the draft almost.
Foster and Possibly Pinelli maynot want to lay here either it is hard to say.
There are going to be afew goalies avail next season If we have an OA slot Vaccari is avail.
But the questin comes to who Boyd drafts, will he be able to get draft icks to come here and will he want Vandenberg here ( I kow he is good but if he is NCAA bound after next year)
Yanni - Whitehead- Kelly
Houben - Amidovski - Horner (OA)
Barlas(OA) here we go again with merry go round
To me you draft and put players in places The challenge is that any player that played USHL is going to want to be on top 3 at least and get minutes.
Ekberg and Foster are wild cards to me as to whether they come back
Ekberg can not be happy with the ice time that he got with Cameron nor the fact that he dropped out of the draft almost.
Foster and Possibly Pinelli maynot want to lay here either it is hard to say.
There are going to be afew goalies avail next season If we have an OA slot Vaccari is avail.
But the questin comes to who Boyd drafts, will he be able to get draft icks to come here and will he want Vandenberg here ( I kow he is good but if he is NCAA bound after next year)
I think we could also debate keeping Horner over Barlas as the 3rd OA. Barlas will provide a little more offence. He is feisty, but I don't think he intimidates anyone physically. On the other hand, Horner has the flexibility to fill in as a defensemen when needed, and is one of the few players on this team that provides a physical presence and consistently delivers hard hits (not to mention some protective services when some teams start taking liberties).
I think Houben can assure himself a spot on the team by working really hard in the off-season and gaining strength and continuing to work on his skating. Right now he is a pretty skinny tall kid. His destiny is in his own hands.
Hopefully we see what White can do pretty soon and have a better idea about him.
I 100% agree that we should be bringing in another import.
But somehow, in the back of my mind I feel that Korbler may stay... I get the feeling someone may have made some kind of commitment to the player for some unknown reason none of us can explain. Let's hope they make the right decision here...
I think the 5 returning D group is pretty solid. Agree that getting a RD should be a priority 1A (along with a centre) through the draft or the import slot. BTW, I don't think it has been mentioned yet, but Jackson has been a pleasant surprise that makes the Mews deal look better than previously thought (in my mind).
OMG67
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Jackson and Dietsch are very similar. Jackson is a little more polished. We weren’t going to win that trade unless we were able to get Blonda in return. If Mews returns next year, that trade will look really bad. But, sometimes you have to take the bird in hand and be thankful. That is how I am looking at that one.
Houben doesn’t just need more weight. He needs a mean streak. He plays a small game. I don’t think he has the skill level to be a big body skill player that can play soft by using weight/leverage to score goals in close. He needs to be a player that crashes and bangs with a little more force to open space for himself and teammates.
I will say no to Horner. I don’t have an issue with him but he doesn’t generate any offence. Yes, he can fill in on defence but we need to continually introduce new d-Men to the roster annually so with five returning guys, I am not sure there is much value keeping him as a spare D-Man and 4th line winger. Strategically go out and get a better OA that fits more of a need for the roster. Go get a top 4 RHD with the OA slot. That would be a better option IMO. But, I agree about Barlas. Too much redundant players on the left side. They will need to thin it out a bit.
If Korbler returns next year with his 1 assist, the management will need their collective heads examined.
