SSM Greyhounds 2022-23 Season Thread

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[DWI Dale]

probably had more to do with how much they liked Holmes as opposed to a knock on
Matier, Probably had Holmes rated higher then Matier on there draft board.
Furthermore, Matier most likely will not be in the Ohl as an overager, but holmes most
likely will. The error i think Raftis made was trading Holmes for Thompson, hounds didn't
play very well in the playoffs last season . Check out there last 2 playoff games ?
Holmes would have made a good overage candidate for hounds next season, but on the
other hand he is Sudbury's captain but don't think he is having a great year based on
what Sudbury fans are saying . Don't know really because don't follow the sudbury wolves to closely.

Holmes is ok but it's obvious that Matier is the superior player and it isn't even close.

Obviously they did have Holmes rated higher so that begs the question "WHY?" when Matier was an easy scout assignment for Raftis to check out in person.

Trading Holmes was another short sighted decision aimed at generating some playoff revenue. Getting Thompson was to sell tickets, not to win a championship.

 

[Houndzfan20]

probably had more to do with how much they liked Holmes as opposed to a knock on
Matier, Probably had Holmes rated higher then Matier on there draft board.
Furthermore, Matier most likely will not be in the Ohl as an overager, but holmes most
likely will. The error i think Raftis made was trading Holmes for Thompson, hounds didn't
play very well in the playoffs last season . Check out there last 2 playoff games ?
Holmes would have made a good overage candidate for hounds next season, but on the
other hand he is Sudbury's captain but don't think he is having a great year based on
what Sudbury fans are saying . Don't know really because don't follow the sudbury wolves to closely.

maybe higher on the hounds draft board but i remember it being a stretch. most had holmes rated in the 2nd or 3rd round. a lot of people were surprised by that pick

Holmes is ok but it's obvious that Matier is the superior player and it isn't even close.

Obviously they did have Holmes rated higher so that begs the question "WHY?" when Matier was an easy scout assignment for Raftis to check out in person.

Trading Holmes was another short sighted decision aimed at generating some playoff revenue. Getting Thompson was to sell tickets, not to win a championship.

if you make that thompson trade you better keep going. can't stop there. if we empty the cupboards last year and go all in, i'm okay with that trade. stopping there was a mistake

 

[DWI Dale]

if you make that thompson trade you better keep going. can't stop there. if we empty the cupboards last year and go all in, i'm okay with that trade. stopping there was a mistake

i think it was a mistake to START trading away assets on a team that just plain wasn't good enough. trading one or both of O'Rourke and Kerins would have solved a lot of our current depth/shortage of draft pick issues would it not?

trading either of those players would have yielded a 17 year old prospect + picks based on historical info. trading both would ensured we had a team worthy of a mem cup bid. imagine 2 x 18 year old players on our roster this year plus 4-6 high draft picks added to the war chest for next years deadline. i know i'm a broken record but i'm pissed off.

 

[HockeyPops]

Be pissed off all you like, but no way Raftis was trading away any part of his core last season. That's not the way he operates. And until we have a season where our draft cupboard is overflowing like Ottawa's or Barrie's, get used to it.

Besides, trade them to who? Last year's deadline was a weird one with nobody but Hamilton really willing to go all in. I'm not sure you find a suitor for either player unless you sell really low. The year prior during the pandemic it was teams like Erie that got stuck with players they were hoping to trade. At least we got to have a post season with our's.

I actually don't have an issue with the Thompson trade. By the time we made the trade, we were recognizing that neither Holmes nor Boudreau was going to be the answer to this team's need for a top pairing D man or a top 6 forward. Had we held onto them they would have just frustrated us this year more than anything.

Holmes has all the physical tools to be an impact player at this level and even at the next level, and he certainly fits the prototypical mold of what a Greyhounds defenseman look like. I can see what Raftis liked in him back in 2019. But hockey IQ/decision making seems to perpetually hold him back from realizing it. Maybe he figures it out eventually, but it wasn't going to happen here on our timeline.

 

[DWI Dale]

And until we have a season where our draft cupboard is overflowing like Ottawa's or Barrie's, get used to it.

I WISH! That may not be how he operates... but how he operates is the primary reason we have become so mediocre. The blame falls square on his shoulders. So I'm not going to "get used it". I'm going to raise a fuss and point out every misstep until he corrects his mistakes or gets fired.

Trade them to who? I'm not sure what to say other than that OTHER teams seem to have no trouble trading to rebuild. Why is it that posters like you are more than willing to make excuses for the organization even as you acknowledge that we are not where we should be... "It was a buyers market... The players didn't want to be traded" etc. Was it Raftis decision to stand pat or a product of the market? Make up your mind! Whichever it is, it's a failure on his part!

I'm sick of the excuses from the Raftis fan club. The guy has accomplished nothing so far. Our lone contending team was drafted primarily by Dubas and his scouts. Now he is bidding for a mem cup with a team that has back door written all over it. This should have everybody angry and asking questions about what he has done to the juggernaut he inherited.

 

[Houndzfan20]

i think it was a mistake to START trading away assets on a team that just plain wasn't good enough. trading one or both of O'Rourke and Kerins would have solved a lot of our current depth/shortage of draft pick issues would it not?

trading either of those players would have yielded a 17 year old prospect + picks based on historical info. trading both would ensured we had a team worthy of a mem cup bid. imagine 2 x 18 year old players on our roster this year plus 4-6 high draft picks added to the war chest for next years deadline. i know i'm a broken record but i'm pissed off.

i agree and also disagree haha. i really did think we had a strong core. if you go get thompson, and maybe gushkin from niagara and maybe one more solid 19 year old, we may have made some noise. flint went to the conference finals and if we had a couple more pieces and didn't have to start an inexperienced goalie the first two games i think we beat them. and maybe make a series out of windsor. the core was too strong not to try, but we should have went all in. i'd have been okay with that.

i know i sound like a broken record too. look back at my posts for the last 5 years. junior hockey should be a cycle. two shitty years followed by a good year and an all in year. i'd be super happy as a season ticket holder with that model. 1 good year followed by 3 decent years i just don't agree with. i know it's about money and i'm not an owner, but as a fan i'd rather see a championship. or at least a chance at one.

it is an uphill battle now. even if we get the mem cup (which i would love) i just don't think we complete. unless we get rutger to report, a top 2 pick this year and maybe another us kid commit or use brown and cloutier in trades. too many variables. the cupboards are too bare.

 

[DWI Dale]

we had an ok team last year for sure and it was long assumed we were going to go all-in around O'Rourke. i think a 2019 sell off would have set us up quite nicely to do so but obviously didn't happen.

i don't believe Raftis had any intention to make the finals last year and made the Thompson trade just to sell a few extra playoff tickets. going all in last year would have meant no mem cup bid this year. and there's no way they didn't already know we were bidding this year.

this only further reinforces the need for a sell off last year if we knew we wanted to host in 2024. PICK A YEAR AND GO FOR IT! enough with this mediocre lily dipping (I'm impressed with myself for inserting canoeist terminology into a hockey discussion... any paddlers out there?)

Maybe Raftis doesn't want a cup. "That's not how he operates" lol.

 

[HockeyPops]

Maybe Raftis doesn't want a cup.

I'm guessing he wants a cup. However, I'm also guessing he's not willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to get there.
2021-2022 Saginaw Spirit 24-43-1-0
2019-2020 North Bay Battalion 17-41-4-0
2018-2019 Flint Firebirds 16-46-6-0
2017-2018 Peterborough Petes 23-39-3-3
2017-2018 Flint Firebirds 20-43-3-2

You have to go back to the Dave Torre days to find a Greyhounds team with fewer than 29 wins on a season.

 

[HockeyPops]

For me, our sophomore forwards have been the most disappointing thing about this team this season:
Points per game (PREVIOUS -> CURRENT)
Justin Cloutier: 0.28 -> 0.34
Marco Mignosa: 0.45 -> 0.45
Ethan Montroy: 0.11 -> 0.38
Landen Hookey: 0.12 -> 0.32
Owen Allard: 0.36 -> ???

You are looking for your forward group to take that developmental step, especially with all the additional opportunity afforded them with the many graduations, and so far we have had little or none aside from our captain. A lot of criticism directed towards Raftis but I think Dean deserves a healthy dose of it himself. I don't know how the duties are split between Dean and Hughes, but this is a huge part of this team's problems.

Brendan Taylor in comparison is doing a great job with the defense.

 

[DWI Dale]

I'm guessing he wants a cup. However, I'm also guessing he's not willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to get there.
2021-2022 Saginaw Spirit 24-43-1-0
2019-2020 North Bay Battalion 17-41-4-0
2018-2019 Flint Firebirds 16-46-6-0
2017-2018 Peterborough Petes 23-39-3-3
2017-2018 Flint Firebirds 20-43-3-2

You have to go back to the Dave Torre days to find a Greyhounds team with fewer than 29 wins on a season.

Whether it happens quickly due to a fire sale (unlikely), or we experience a slow death like we have been (losing depth and draft picks), we will eventually bottom out. We could easily finish this season with less than 29 wins especially after this years contenders load up... which is something we were told wouldn't happen under this Raftis/Lukenda philosophy. Sitting at 10 wins going into the christmas break sounds like a Torrie season to me. That's Denny Lambert hockey!

Dean deserves some blame but he can only work with the team he is given. We had no issues scoring until this season.

 

[DWI Dale]

Heard a few rumours that Watson is going to the petes at the deadline. Makes sense considering they are in search of forward depth and it's his home town. He's nearly a PPG player on a weak offensive team. Anybody else hearing this? What do the petes have to offer in return?

 

[HockeyPops]

@DWI Dale Might want to edit your post, it's frowned upon here to break trade rumours. a couple board members are currently in timeout because of it

 

[DWI Dale]

@DWI Dale Might want to edit your post, it's frowned upon here to break trade rumours. a couple board members are currently in timeout because of it

If i'm timed out for a logical sounding trade rumour i'm no longer interested in being here. Thanks for the heads up though.

 

[Houndzfan20]

For me, our sophomore forwards have been the most disappointing thing about this team this season:
Points per game (PREVIOUS -> CURRENT)
Justin Cloutier: 0.28 -> 0.34
Marco Mignosa: 0.45 -> 0.45
Ethan Montroy: 0.11 -> 0.38
Landen Hookey: 0.12 -> 0.32
Owen Allard: 0.36 -> ???

You are looking for your forward group to take that developmental step, especially with all the additional opportunity afforded them with the many graduations, and so far we have had little or none aside from our captain. A lot of criticism directed towards Raftis but I think Dean deserves a healthy dose of it himself. I don't know how the duties are split between Dean and Hughes, but this is a huge part of this team's problems.

Brendan Taylor in comparison

is doing a great job with the defensi

i'd trade cloutier and mignosa in a heartbeat if we weren't starved for players. cloutier is at least noticeable out there. mignosa seems scared to engage and really all i focus on are his mistakes now.

i honestly wouldn't know what to do at this point lol. very few options

 

[HockeyPops]

@DWI Dale apparently we all already agreed to this when we signed up:

8) Claims of Insider Information/ Rumors & Hearsay: If you're an insider, contact us with proof BEFORE you post. These posts will be allowed/rejected at the discretion of administrators after consulting with other posters, moderators, and relevant sources. Deference will be given to veteran members who have established credibility. It's not acceptable to post that you heard someone has a drinking/drug/sex/personal problem from a "good" source. Do not post information that can be considered defamatory without a link to a credible media source. Other forums, personal websites, amateur/unvetted blogs, hearsay, and personal testimonials are not considered credible.

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forums.hfboards.com

Good luck sir.

 

[DWI Dale]

i'm certainly not claiming to be an insider. just a small town hockey fan with a set of functioning ears. i can totally appreciate not spreading rumours about sex or drugs, but not rumours that speculate on trade destinations/packages.

 

[HockeyPops]

What is allowed is trade proposals.

Players that aren't coming back next year are expendable. For example, we could trade an OA forward at the deadline to a contender for either picks or a younger player that might help us on our run next year. If a contending team is short on picks they may prefer to send back a player. What would make sense for us would be an '04 forward coming back in return. Teams looking to contend this year that are short on picks are PBO, NB, OS, SAR.

Looking at their rosters, players that might make sense for both teams would be Fantino (OS), Filak (SAR), DeZoete (PBO), Van Steensel (NB).

 

[DWI Dale]

I wonder if Duarte could be flipped for something worthwhile. Considering what we paid for him, he has had a very strong season and is the kind of "neckbeard" that champions need to win.

 

[DWI Dale]

an OA candidate for next year I suppose. but i'm not a big fan of spending a 3rd unless there's a legitimate plan to recoup some picks. KR is better at spending assets than he is at recouping though however.

Soo Greyhounds

soogreyhounds.com

 

[Houndzfan20]

an OA candidate for next year I suppose. but i'm not a big fan of spending a 3rd unless there's a legitimate plan to recoup some picks. KR is better at spending assets than he is at recouping though however.

Soo Greyhounds

soogreyhounds.com

really like this deal.

he was a scoring machine in MMAAA. hopefully he can find that touch again

 

[DWI Dale]

he's nearly a PPG now. with this move you have to figure some veteran forwards are on their way out soon to recoup some picks.

why would Niagara, a team poised to make a mem cup bid get rid of this guy? do they have a ton of OA candidates for next year?

 

[Houndzfan20]

he's nearly a PPG now. with this move you have to figure some veteran forwards are on their way out soon to recoup some picks.

why would Niagara, a team poised to make a mem cup bid get rid of this guy? do they have a ton of OA candidates for next year?

i love what savard brings but if he can net what zito did then i'd say do it. definitely. if we go with sirrizotti and d'intino up front next year that is two good OA's. and space to add another one or a big mean d.

hopefully hookey can develop into a power forward that can score. if not, we have a lot of team toughness tho.

in this market savard may get us a couple of 2nds and 3rds which would be great

 

[DWI Dale]

i love what savard brings but if he can net what zito did then i'd say do it. definitely. if we go with sirrizotti and d'intino up front next year that is two good OA's. and space to add another one or a big mean d.

hopefully hookey can develop into a power forward that can score. if not, we have a lot of team toughness tho.

in this market savard may get us a couple of 2nds and 3rds which would be great

i've heard some speculation the hounds are going to hold on to ivanov as an OA. i'm not a big fan of that move if that's plan. not unless sam can show a lot more consistency than we've seen from him in his hounds career.

Duarte and Watson should get moved. As should Savard if he's not likely to return as an OA. With another 3rd going out the door in this transaction we need some 2nds and 3rds badly.

 

[Houndzfan20]

i've heard some speculation the hounds are going to hold on to ivanov as an OA. i'm not a big fan of that move if that's plan. not unless sam can show a lot more consistency than we've seen from him in his hounds career.

Duarte and Watson should get moved. As should Savard if he's not likely to return as an OA. With another 3rd going out the door in this transaction we need some 2nds and 3rds badly.

mistake to hold on to Ivanov. while i like what he's done this year, shenkle is more than ready to bear the load and Miller is having a good year in the NOJ.

i really like Duarte tho haha. i wouldn't be overly upset if he stayed. he seems to be a good leader and role model for the younger kids but you're right. we nee to recoup picks and we got him for nothing so.

i doubt watson would nab a 2nd but maybe a third or two.

ottawa has a ton of picks. hopefully they'll use some haha

 

[DWI Dale]

savard, sirizzotti and a stable OA defenseman would be a contender worthy crop of OA's imo.

but savard is also our only real trade chip this year. damn this is frustrating.