Sarnia Sting 2024 - 25 Season Thread, Part I

[StingUpdates]

lol Michael Misa not even invited to the world junior camp ..... just another baffling decision especially because Lazary is an assistant.... Not inviting the leading scorer in the O is crazy especially when the teams achillies has been scoring goals. Beaudoin, Pinelli over Misa, I dont like it

Sennecke not invited either. Pretty bananas.

World Juniors is my favorite tournament of any, but some of things that happen every year are truly so stupid.

This teams willingly don't take the best players who all deserve to be there.

 

[NBBFan]

lol Michael Misa not even invited to the world junior camp ..... just another baffling decision especially because Lazary is an assistant.... Not inviting the leading scorer in the O is crazy especially when the teams achillies has been scoring goals. Beaudoin, Pinelli over Misa, I dont like it

Parekh not invited either, but Schaefer was. So odd.

 

[StingUpdates]

Team held a doors closed meeting yesterday after the game & cancelled the post game presser.

Not sure if it was players only or with the staff. Probably needed to happen either way. They've begun to accept losing & giving up on games which is really bad.

This road trip & these 9 games before the break are where they must right the ship & get this back on course.

They somehow are only 3 points out of 6th which is where alot of us hoped they'd finish. So despite this truly horrific stretch they are right there still.

Unfortunately Fischer will likely get 5 games (seems to be the amount for throat slash gestures) & Young they won't say what it is & that's there's no timetable which is scary. So they'll be without their top 2D.

I want changes. It's time for them IMO. But as others have said it's tough mid season in Jr & I'm not sure it's how Seca wants to operate. So gotta stick it out probably.

 

[davewheeler]

Team held a doors closed meeting yesterday after the game & cancelled the post game presser.

Not sure if it was players only or with the staff. Probably needed to happen either way. They've begun to accept losing & giving up on games which is really bad.

This road trip & these 9 games before the break are where they must right the ship & get this back on course.

They somehow are only 3 points out of 6th which is where alot of us hoped they'd finish. So despite this truly horrific stretch they are right there still.

Unfortunately Fischer will likely get 5 games (seems to be the amount for throat slash gestures) & Young they won't say what it is & that's there's no timetable which is scary. So they'll be without their top 2D.

I want changes. It's time for them IMO. But as others have said it's tough mid season in Jr & I'm not sure it's how Seca wants to operate. So gotta stick it out probably.

Closed door meetings are never good. Player only even worse. A huge sign of dysfunction. Like what would mike haley and Jeffries even say in a meeting with the players and will Letang even listen to the players... I doubt it. I simply hate the make up of this team from top to bottom... Sarnia rarely has good veteran/overage players.. I cant remember the last time they had a solid veteran core ... this team is basically just young players with a bad coaching staff... an awful make-up. I hate beating a dead horse but this team would be sick with Martone/Macdonnel/Daviault mix in with young guys ... thats how young guys learn... as were seeing in Windsor.... I see people asking what will Seca do ... surely he's mad or whatever ... when its in fact Seca who put this team in a hole in the first place

 

[Texcanuck]

Solid veteran core 2022-23.
Nolan Burke, Nolan Dillingham, Ethan Ritchie were the O/A’s. All big contributors. And guess what… a good team.
Since then O/A’s have been 3rd & 4th line level talent.
But you’re absolutely right - need talented senior leadership.

 

[stinger94]

Solid veteran core 2022-23.
Nolan Burke, Nolan Dillingham, Ethan Ritchie were the O/A’s. All big contributors. And guess what… a good team.
Since then O/A’s have been 3rd & 4th line level talent.
But you’re absolutely right - need talented senior leadership.

It will be interesting to see how the changes in NCAA eligibility might affect OA dynamics and strategy.

How will teams build a competent OA core when NCAA offers loom for the OAs most teams would want ?

 

[StingUpdates]

This might be a long one so I apologize in advance lol..

This is definitely a mix of almost everything. They don't have elite veterans. They are solid, but not elite. Neither can carry a line or put the team on their back & with so many young guys there are games (like vs Brampton) where it kills you. Wainwright is their only F who sometimes can takeover a game or will the team to a W, but it has been more hit or miss than id like.

Fischer's injury was absolutely crippling to this team. I knew it would be bad, but in that time we saw Hurt & Barr play the worst hockey they've played in the OHL & both have 0 confidence right now. Bodin very clearly needs Fischer as his partner to be his best. Just has to defend. If he's asked to do more he struggles. Young & Bridegwater really stepped up imo, but that couldn't overcome the rest falling apart.

Brown has definitely disappointed. His play hasn't been anywhere as strong as we saw in glimpses last yr, or in camp/pre season & when he has played well he's gotten zero luck. Been a season from hell for him so far. Kostuch had mono & that clearly took a toll until id say the last 3 weeks where he's looked significantly better. Karimov definitely isn't as good as some pegged him. Some services had him as a 1st round pick.. He certainly isn't that & I say that as a big fan of his game. I think he'll be a damn good OHLer at 18&19, but clearly he was a bit overhyped/he dominated a much weaker league. That's 3 guys we all hoped could be 20-25G, 50+ point players & right now there's a chance none of them hit 20Gs or 40 points..

I don't think its entirely their fault & I'm not giving up on them as guys who will be great players for us next yr & beyond. Letang hasn't given Kostuch any PP time & no OT time. Karimov was buried on L4 for a month & seemingly isn't allowed to go more than 2-3 games without being demoted no matter how good he does. Brown has been given the ice time, but he hasn't been paired with a vet C all yr. He was trying to do way to much w/Di iorio as his C & he had 0 chemistry with Johnston. Mind boggling he hasn't been stapled next to wainwright after the chemistry those 2 had last yr.

Johnston started great & it looked like Seca found another hidden gem, but for the first time when trying to find someone needing more ice he missed. The kid sadly is soft as hot butter & it's only gotten worse. He's become a full on a liability & Letang only now has started benching him. He also seems incredibly hard to play with. The young guys especially have had 0 offence playing with him. Not a coincidence to me our F lines looked the best vs BRMP.. with him not playing.

While I like their energy & u do need some sand paper, Franceschetti & Moses have brought absolutely nothing to the table offensively & as of late neither is even stirring the pot or fighting which is their role on the team. Luecke was providing no offence & neither was Sim. 2nd yr in a row the 4th line is bringing 0 production to this team & that hurts.

Special teams have been the worst in the league & it isn't remotely close the past 15-18 games. This team doesn't have the offensive firepower to withstand a power play being this goddamn bad. They'd have 3or4 more wins if the PP was just 17% which still isn't good & how different would this season feel just from that? The PK was so good at the start but once Fischer went down it went right to hell & they've been unable to stop the bleeding.

I think Letang has done them a major disservice with the constant line changes. They have very rarely looked in sync as a F unit this season. We are 25 games in. That is unacceptable & borderline unfathomable. The last thing a group of rookies & young kids need is confusion on the ice & that's what it looks like they are so often lately. Confused. They don't know where to be or where there line mates will be. especially when they have a couple guys id say are a bit difficult to play with in Wainwright, Johnson, Karimov & Brown. all 4 love to hold onto the puck for too long & at times don't use their line mates nearly enough. So trying to play off them when u don't have a ton of reps is difficult & leads to confusion/lack of chemistry..

I think we all agree there assistants seemingly provide nothing to this team & that helps no one it actually hurts everyone. The players, Letang, special teams etc. Neither has experience to calm these kids down or direct them in the right direction or adjust stuff on the PP/PK etc. I cant imagine the players look back at them on the bench in anticipation of some good advice & with such a young team they sure could use someone who could do those things.

They've had a pretty hard schedule & we've probably under sold it at times recently with our bitterness, frustration. They've played 9 games vs teams not considered all that good/not going for it (SSM/SBY/NB/OS/FLT/OTT) & they've gone 6-1-3.. Flip side they've played 18 games vs teams many consider elite/cup contenders (LDN/WSR/SAG/BRNT/BRMP/NIA/OSH/BAR/KIT/ER) & in those 18 they've gone 2-14-2... A lot of that during the 8 game trip with Fischer, Bodin hurt, Di Iorio, Edwards gone & Wainwright SSPD 3 games.

Issue is now the wheels have come off. They look defeated & lost. This many young guys & they've likely never gone thru a stretch this awful or felt this outclassed. I don't feel the coaching has helped at all & I do think we can maybe question the leadership. Fischer finally comes back & now he's gone again after doing a stupid, selfish gesture. Wainwright isn't a vocal guy its a more follow me type thing & he's been really quiet lately. Doucette isn't a very vocal or gritty player, especially for an OA. Two of the assistants are 17 yr olds in Hurt & Brown who are now going thru it. So who the heck is gonna standup between periods, or during a period & say wake the F up or this isn't acceptable etc? That is lacking it seems.

Say all that to say, this team has had about every single thing go wrong for them the last 15-18 games. It's pretty remarkable & now it's gotten into there heads & if they cant fix it quickly this could get way out of hand. If you've made to the end of my novel congratulations lmao.

 

[stingwagoner]

I agree for most part, however I do think that bringing a selfish soft zero effort type player like Johnston ruined what this team had built last year ans pre season. It took while for Johnston to drag free with him. As they say takes 1 bad egg to ruin bunch. I'm not blaming all on Johnston there is more issues than that but just seeing how he walls around his arrogance etc must rub on younger guys.
I do disagree about bodin think he is way overrated , footspeed is slow and makes slow decisions. This staff doesnt help putting a guy that cant handle the offense on pp type thing. I see things more o shoulders of Letang he hasn't exactly helped wainwright find his reliable offense playing him with new guys every game while doucette stayed constant. Also played filak at center for alot of games while Edward's was forced to wing when he had a line that was working. Just constant derailing by Letang on these lines. Karimov has been buried, sure he makes mistakes and learning the game systems(which sucks) but he can be explosive. Force him to pick up his speed and puckoving skills with a Brown and wainwright and all 3 have best games all year to never play a game together after that dominating brampton win.
Wainwright 2 goals karimov 2 goals.
There are many factors in Play, coaches are the biggest well assistants that dont bring anything to the table actually biggest downer with a young team. Fischer has been forced to play offensive role this year as well when he isnt an offensive D his strength is D hurts is D why those w arenr playing ither teams top units is mind boggling. Same with filak and moses they should be shutting teams shooters down. They dont create much offense but should be 3rd line shut down. We now have 3 lines of young offense and no one to shut down other teams guys and they score pretty simple.
I do think we need to get rid of assistant coaches 1st thing and bring in few that can work to maybe take over from letang. Strong assistant coaches. Then trade some guys send message and get rid of issues (johnston 100% way before deadline too) let's showcase Brown and wainwright with karimov or doucette for 5 games dont juggle after 1st period letang needs to stop that shuffle keep min 5 games all times play SH PK and pp together wainwright and brown.and then see if we cant get brown's confidence back. That's how a cosch shows a player like brown you believe in him.

 

[davewheeler]

Solid veteran core 2022-23.
Nolan Burke, Nolan Dillingham, Ethan Ritchie were the O/A’s. All big contributors. And guess what… a good team.
Since then O/A’s have been 3rd & 4th line level talent.
But you’re absolutely right - need talented senior leadership.

ok I stand corrected we one time had solid senior leadership .... that team wasn't good until it made those trades.... the one time Sarnia was ever good was because we traded away a potential 1st overall nhl pick and mortgaged the future for who knows how long.... oh yah and we didn't even make it to the finals in a massive down year for the O ... which for some reason was branded as a success. This on-ice product mixed with the off ice dysfunction reminds me of the later Cicarelli years where it just seemed like no one cared and acceptance of failure was normal. Sad organization if you ask me. We have PTBO next game which if they lose something drastic needs to be done on the spot like send the coaching staff back on a school bus and let literally anyone else run the team.

 

[MeafAttack]

lol Michael Misa not even invited to the world junior camp ..... just another baffling decision especially because Lazary is an assistant.... Not inviting the leading scorer in the O is crazy especially when the teams achillies has been scoring goals. Beaudoin, Pinelli over Misa, I dont like it

Beaudoin is invited to play a bottom 6 checking role, something Misa does not do. Its not always the high scoring players that get invited.

 

[HkyBeegs3]

ok I stand corrected we one time had solid senior leadership .... that team wasn't good until it made those trades.... the one time Sarnia was ever good was because we traded away a potential 1st overall nhl pick and mortgaged the future for who knows how long.... oh yah and we didn't even make it to the finals in a massive down year for the O ... which for some reason was branded as a success. This on-ice product mixed with the off ice dysfunction reminds me of the later Cicarelli years where it just seemed like no one cared and acceptance of failure was normal. Sad organization if you ask me. We have PTBO next game which if they lose something drastic needs to be done on the spot like send the coaching staff back on a school bus and let literally anyone else run the team.

Dave I'm 100% in agreement on your thoughts about this team and franchise. I've been saying pretty much the same for the past few years. Even when they made the conf final I felt they overpaid and underperformed . They were overhyped and because of that they overpaid and were set back for years and maybe more to come. I don't even know what to say about direction anymore because it seems like they are all misguided. Maybe they need to gut the entire staff top to bottom. idk. I'm at a loss for words

 

[davewheeler]

Beaudoin is invited to play a bottom 6 checking role, something Misa does not do. Its not always the high scoring players that get invited.

Sure but at least invite him to the camp... especially since he may be on the team next year... makes zero sense... it seems like the team is already made...this strategy of bringing in 'checking guys' over skill has burnt Canadian teams at all levels in the past... They made this exact mistake last year and the team struggled to score goals... great checking team but they couldn't put the puck in the net. ... This tournament is never won by checking lines who play a few mins a game ...its won by guys with dynamic skill like Misa...It's a sprint .....which is why I think Canada has taken a step back in this tournament ... Misa has the 2nd most points in the entire CHL and you dont at least invite him to the camp.... Team Canada just needs to get out of its own way sometimes.

 

[davewheeler]

Dave I'm 100% in agreement on your thoughts about this team and franchise. I've been saying pretty much the same for the past few years. Even when they made the conf final I felt they overpaid and underperformed . They were overhyped and because of that they overpaid and were set back for years and maybe more to come. I don't even know what to say about direction anymore because it seems like they are all misguided. Maybe they need to gut the entire staff top to bottom. idk. I'm at a loss for words

The funny thing is that if Sarnia's franchise history of failure was virtually any other city they would have 14 people in the stands a game or not even exist anymore. I remember the days when LDN had 500 people a game and that may be a generous number. A disloyal fanbase gets rewarded with a juggernaut and we get.... this. Fingers crossed better days are ahead because the Sting fan base deserves a lot better.

 

[StingUpdates]

Funny we just talked about WJC snubs & certain biases then the 4 nations rosters get leaked & Canada isn't taking guys like Scheifele Tavares Bouchard Rielly Dobson for guys like Sam Bennett, Anthony Cirelli, Seth Jarvis, Colton Parayko lol.

Another showcase of them over prioritizing "grit size physicality" over elite IQ, skill, production. Such a Canadian staple at this point but they are so stacked they usually still win lol.

Not hard to see where Letang gets his inspiration from with certain lineup decisions lol.

 

[HkyBeegs3]

The funny thing is that if Sarnia's franchise history of failure was virtually any other city they would have 14 people in the stands a game or not even exist anymore. I remember the days when LDN had 500 people a game and that may be a generous number. A disloyal fanbase gets rewarded with a juggernaut and we get.... this. Fingers crossed better days are ahead because the Sting fan base deserves a lot better.

We definetly deserve WAY better than what's been put on the ice. Easier said then done but it's disheartening. Being a sting fan isn't easy...

 

[StingUpdates]

We definetly deserve WAY better than what's been put on the ice. Easier said then done but it's disheartening. Being a sting fan isn't easy...

Actually been the toughest of any fan base & that isn't overreacting lol. Worst franchise in OHL history to date. Nobody has achieved less.

As Dave said it's pretty remarkable they got 4000 a game last yr & this yr is strong once again.

The people of Sarnia clearly love disappointment & suffering

 

[stingwagoner]

The owner being a hockey guy should see what's happening? LETANG had a allstar team and couldnt coach to winner. I'm sorry I think he is the issue. Atleast we had a harder coach it wouldnt be an easy game coming into our barn. We would have an identity anyway.
DS too loyal to Letang and now jefferies and Haley.
Hearing Hall back practicing like he is playing. Who sits to get him in lineup?
Has to be Johnston. Just been aweful since 1st 5 games and now is distracting.

 

[StingUpdates]

The owner being a hockey guy should see what's happening? LETANG had a allstar team and couldnt coach to winner. I'm sorry I think he is the issue. Atleast we had a harder coach it wouldnt be an easy game coming into our barn. We would have an identity anyway.
DS too loyal to Letang and now jefferies and Haley.
Hearing Hall back practicing like he is playing. Who sits to get him in lineup?
Has to be Johnston. Just been aweful since 1st 5 games and now is distracting.

Moses, Franceschetti or Johnston be the likely choice. Moses hasn't done much since his stint on L1. JJ plays hard, but he hasn't been as pesty as you'd like. Then yah, Johnston been such a liability.

Better not be a U17 lol. I'd like

Brown-Wainwright-Karimov
Edwards-Beamish-Filak
Kostuch-Di Iorio-Doucette
JJ-Hall-Moses/Johnston

 

[HkyBeegs3]

We had season tickets when the team first moved to sarnia at the old arena on brock street up until 2012 , there were some decent seasons but no championships. We eventually got tired of mediocrity and stopped renewing. I won't get season tickets until there are at least 3-4 solid years in a row of growth and development. Never paying to see this garbage, surprised and I guess happy for.the city that they have still supported the team after all these years.

 

[Ferda11]

We had season tickets when the team first moved to sarnia at the old arena on brock street up until 2012 , there were some decent seasons but no championships. We eventually got tired of mediocrity and stopped renewing. I won't get season tickets until there are at least 3-4 solid years in a row of growth and development. Never paying to see this garbage, surprised and I guess happy for.the city that they have still supported the team after all these years.

I'm with ya! Things are a bit different living an hour away now, but I made the decision to stop supporting this team with my money after the organization refused to sell me playoff tickets because I lived outside of Sarnia in 22/23. Been a strong supporter since 2006 having season tickets for many of those years.

Back just before Hatcher/Legwand bought the team was a time when I think most long-standing Sting fans had pretty much had enough. The buy-out bought the organization more time with fans but now after 9 years and nothing to show other than an ass kicking in the west finals, patience appears to be wearing thin again amongst the fans who focus on team success. The Sting will always be fine in Sarnia as long as you have the big cooperate players like Imperial Oil funneling money into the team. The organizations focus on out-reach within the community has bought many new fans the last few years. Sting focusing more on a family friendly atmosphere and banking on parents bringing their kids to the games. Seems to be more about the off-ice production these days. Just my observations...

There's zero doubt that players are struggling hard. It's not just one or two either, it's the majority of the team. I get placing blame on players when it's one or two players under performing but it's basically the entire team. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what may be the root cause of the entire team under performing *cough coaching cough* .

Green and gold looking pretty good the longer I live in London. So tired of this loser mentality with this organization.

 

[JAMER]

Sting sign free agent Dman Jack O'Brien out of the BCHL. he's 19 tho so I wonder if this means Young may be out awhile. He's also not commited anywhere for next year.

 

[frontsfan67]

Sting sign free agent Dman Jack O'Brien out of the BCHL. he's 19 tho so I wonder if this means Young may be out awhile. He's also not commited anywhere for next year.

Could be that or could be a possible trade. It’s that time of the year and he would definitely get some interest

 

[SarniaStingFan]

Sting sign free agent Dman Jack O'Brien out of the BCHL. he's 19 tho so I wonder if this means Young may be out awhile. He's also not commited anywhere for next year.

The Sarnia Observer article said Young is out indefinitely so I would guess that is one of the reasons for the signing.

O'Brien is a big kid at 6'2"/205 and Seca mentioned that he's a PK specialist who takes pride in playing defence. The line in the article that I found most interesting was this:

"He’s going to put a lot of pressure on the people in our lineup to play better, and that’s what we want.”

I'm glad he's not ignoring the problems that we're all seeing on the ice. O'Brien is making his Sting debut tomorrow night in Peterborough

 

[StingUpdates]

Interesting signing with him being 19. He better be a clear upgrade over what we have (Omeri Andersen Barr Bridgewater) because of he isn't this reeks of desperation & just pushes a kid out of the lineup.

Also seems like Young will be out awhile. Sucks he was having a great season & we are missing his ability to carry the puck & transition.

Also not committed from what I see so potentially a decent OA candidate for next season.

 

[StingUpdates]

I'm with ya! Things are a bit different living an hour away now, but I made the decision to stop supporting this team with my money after the organization refused to sell me playoff tickets because I lived outside of Sarnia in 22/23. Been a strong supporter since 2006 having season tickets for many of those years.

Back just before Hatcher/Legwand bought the team was a time when I think most long-standing Sting fans had pretty much had enough. The buy-out bought the organization more time with fans but now after 9 years and nothing to show other than an ass kicking in the west finals, patience appears to be wearing thin again amongst the fans who focus on team success. The Sting will always be fine in Sarnia as long as you have the big cooperate players like Imperial Oil funneling money into the team. The organizations focus on out-reach within the community has bought many new fans the last few years. Sting focusing more on a family friendly atmosphere and banking on parents bringing their kids to the games. Seems to be more about the off-ice production these days. Just my observations...

There's zero doubt that players are struggling hard. It's not just one or two either, it's the majority of the team. I get placing blame on players when it's one or two players under performing but it's basically the entire team. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what may be the root cause of the entire team under performing *cough coaching cough* .

Green and gold looking pretty good the longer I live in London. So tired of this loser mentality with this organization.

Brightside least u didn't pay 30$ bucks to watch London hoist the trophy on our logo

God what a sick joke. I can not imagine the difference you see from being here to being there for how they are run, the consistency etc