SSM Greyhounds 2022-23 Season Thread

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[HockeyPops]

Last year he played on top line

Lol no he didn't. They tried him there and it failed.

I am saying that an OA should play top 6 fwd or top 4 dman or its a waste of an OA spot.

In a rebuilding year it's not a waste of a spot. We have a spot for him. We have so few 19 year olds that there are still plenty of opportunities for our young players.

 

[DeletedAccountt]

McMullen no matter where on the team is a wasted spot. I'd rather let a rookie play a full year and not be that good than having McMullen in that spot. For sure.

There were multiple kids that were cut at training camp who are better than McMullen.

 

[HockeyPops]

McMullen is a great 3rd line player. You are not giving him nearly enough credit. While he's not really going to generate a ton of offense while out there, he can limit chances against and play hard minutes. If we can roll out a line something like McMullen - Ballard - Cloutier and soak up some tough minutes against their top line, it gives the rest of our lineup better opportunity to succeed.

 

[DeletedAccountt]

McMullen is a great 3rd line player. You are not giving him nearly enough credit. While he's not really going to generate a ton of offense while out there, he can limit chances against and play hard minutes. If we can roll out a line something like McMullen - Ballard - Cloutier and soak up some tough minutes against their top line, it gives the rest of our lineup better opportunity to succeed.

D'Intino BMB Mignosa
Savard Allard Watson
Montroy Ballard Cloutier
Clattenburg Brown Kostov

those would be my forward lines up if I ran the team, lol.

I just don't see enough reason to put McMullen in this lineup when 16, 17, and 18-year-old players are better than him in almost every aspect. I for sure wouldn't want my young kids to develop some of the bad habits he has. I'm sure he's GOING to be there, politics are always a part of the sport, but I wouldn't have him here anymore.

 

[OHL Fan]

I agreed with HFP92.

If the team is deep offensively with forwards, then an OA on the 3rd line is accepted and reasonable. But if team is not a contender, then an OA on the 3rd line is not reasonable and better to develop a young future player.

 

[HockeyPops]

Alex Johnston got picked up in Ottawa last year after being waived in the Soo, and played 3rd line all season as an OA I believe. @OMG67 is that where he played?

 

[DWI Dale]

i'd prefer a young body get the spot. short term pain for long term gain.

this is a transitional year, and we are in need of it.

 

[OMG67]

Alex Johnston got picked up in Ottawa last year after being waived in the Soo, and played 3rd line all season as an OA I believe. @OMG67 is that where he played?

He mostly played 3rd line Centre but at times he elevated to 2nd line centre. He was very serviceable for a team that didn’t want to part with assets to fill out a need at centre with an OA spot open. He produced a half a point a game which was very respectable for a waiver claim.

To me it comes down to where your gaps are and what inexpensive ways are available to fill those gaps.

Ideally, if you have two comparable players performing at a similar level but one is younger, you keep the younger player, especially if you are considering a rebuild. However, if you are looking at a key position like Centre and purposely releasing a veteran and you don’t have a viable younger player to fill that role, you don’t release the veteran explicitly because you are rebuilding. The managers and coaches have a responsibility to the rest of the team to not purposely derail their efforts by keeping younger players and thrusting them into positions they are not capable of succeeding in.

 

[OHL4Life]

I agreed with HFP92.

If the team is deep offensively with forwards, then an OA on the 3rd line is accepted and reasonable. But if team is not a contender, then an OA on the 3rd line is not reasonable and better to develop a young future player.

if a kid cant play ahead of that guy, with all due respect, how good could the kid be? hes a pretty average ohl player

 

[OMG67]

if a kid cant play ahead of that guy, with all due respect, how good could the kid be? hes a pretty average ohl player

I think the question is more complex TBH.

Is there a younger player capable of filling the role of the OA? By capable, I don’t mean just as good. I mean capable. Can the player likely build in value and be better next year or maybe even in the second half of this year?

Does your team have a gap at another position that could be better filled by shifted the OA roster spot to fill that gap? Maybe you have a hole in defence and no internal candidates that are capable. Acquiring an OA D-Man and shifting one asset for another may be better for the team.

Do you anticipate a lot of player movement to the point that you may not want to burn player cards? If you keep the OA forward, do you anticipate moving him out later? If so, can you afford to burn the player card on a short term solution?

To me the biggest question is whether the OA is blocking the development of a key player you will need to rely on in the future. If you are retooling then you should open the spot for the younger player but not if you are doing it for the sake of doing it. It needs to be done purposefully. The other players on the team deserve to have the best players with them on the ice. What message are you sending to the players if you move out a capable OA and replace with a green rookie?

There are a lot of factors that go into that type of a decision. I have only touched on a couple.

 

[SSMHoundsFan]

For a team not returning alot from last season, I think a guy like McMullen helps with the transitional year

 

[OHL4Life]

I think the question is more complex TBH.

Is there a younger player capable of filling the role of the OA? By capable, I don’t mean just as good. I mean capable. Can the player likely build in value and be better next year or maybe even in the second half of this year?

Does your team have a gap at another position that could be better filled by shifted the OA roster spot to fill that gap? Maybe you have a hole in defence and no internal candidates that are capable. Acquiring an OA D-Man and shifting one asset for another may be better for the team.

Do you anticipate a lot of player movement to the point that you may not want to burn player cards? If you keep the OA forward, do you anticipate moving him out later? If so, can you afford to burn the player card on a short term solution?

To me the biggest question is whether the OA is blocking the development of a key player you will need to rely on in the future. If you are retooling then you should open the spot for the younger player but not if you are doing it for the sake of doing it. It needs to be done purposefully. The other players on the team deserve to have the best players with them on the ice. What message are you sending to the players if you move out a capable OA and replace with a green rookie?

There are a lot of factors that go into that type of a decision. I have only touched on a couple.

i honestly think that if a kid is blocked by him, they cant be THAT good, he was a depth guy at best last year and will be the same this year. you do need some older guys to protect the younger guys from playing too much or taking on too much too early.

 

[OMG67]

i honestly think that if a kid is blocked by him, they cant be THAT good, he was a depth guy at best last year and will be the same this year. you do need some older guys to protect the younger guys from playing too much or taking on too much too early.

If the player is 16, do you expect that player to be better or do you expect that the player would grow and develop and it would be a net benefit overall?

I’m asking this question as an outsider because I don’t know the players in question.

Using the Johnston example last year, Ottawa had wingers basically failing because of a lack of capable centre depth. So, for Ottawa, Johnston wasn’t blocking anyone. He actually helped develop players with his presence. This year we have 10 capable OHL D-Men with one being an OA. That OA is blocking the ice time of a younger player. So the question now is whether the added benefit of experience is worth the non-development of a younger player. SSM is in the same boat maybe?

Again, more goes into it. Is the player integral in the room? Is he a leader off the ice? Does he work well with the coaches to help filter info to the other players? Is he good in the community? Does he have a full ride scholarship vs just the basic package? Loads of stuff that have nothing to do directly with his on ice contributions that may make him far more valuable to keep. But if all the answers above are a straight up “NO” then why keep him?

 

[HockeyPops]

McMullen is a left winger, of which we are rather weak this season.

Savard 03
D'Intino 03
Montroy 05
McMullen 02
Clattenburg 05

D'Intino also might spend some time at center. So unless they want to play a RW on their off wing, he's not really blocking anyone IMO.

 

[Bearness]

Just a side note Clouthier is in for a big year , he’s looking very hungry and a lot more confident, also stronger , don’t count on him being 3rd line ,he’s gonna be a offensive force this year I’ll lay money on that..

 

[HockeyPops]

I wonder if we find that the forward OA that is actually blocking players is Watson. Mignosa and Cloutier do look ready based on early evidence. We have a glut of other RW options. We might find that a player like Watson can return us at least a 2nd on the market, and free up some more playing time for our younger RWs. But that would likely be closer to a deadline deal.

 

[OHL4Life]

If the player is 16, do you expect that player to be better or do you expect that the player would grow and develop and it would be a net benefit overall?

I’m asking this question as an outsider because I don’t know the players in question.

Using the Johnston example last year, Ottawa had wingers basically failing because of a lack of capable centre depth. So, for Ottawa, Johnston wasn’t blocking anyone. He actually helped develop players with his presence. This year we have 10 capable OHL D-Men with one being an OA. That OA is blocking the ice time of a younger player. So the question now is whether the added benefit of experience is worth the non-development of a younger player. SSM is in the same boat maybe?

Again, more goes into it. Is the player integral in the room? Is he a leader off the ice? Does he work well with the coaches to help filter info to the other players? Is he good in the community? Does he have a full ride scholarship vs just the basic package? Loads of stuff that have nothing to do directly with his on ice contributions that may make him far more valuable to keep. But if all the answers above are a straight up “NO” then why keep him?

we seem to be on the same page. im not sure that there is anyone that is truly being blocked and if anything, it allows kids to play more regulated and smarter minutes. throw the 02 against the harder competition, let the kid play more strategically.

 

[OHL Fan]

McMullen is a left winger, of which we are rather weak this season.

Savard 03
D'Intino 03
Montroy 05
McMullen 02
Clattenburg 05

D'Intino also might spend some time at center. So unless they want to play a RW on their off wing, he's not really blocking anyone IMO.

Disagree.

03s are senior and good enough.

05s are going into their 2nd yr post U16 and thus need to progress and develop. If you sit the 05s over a 3rd line OA, that is not proper management of assets especially when mid pack or somewhat rebuilding.

They may also choose to use Brown the 06 at LW and on 4th line.

I wonder if we find that the forward OA that is actually blocking players is Watson. Mignosa and Cloutier do look ready based on early evidence. We have a glut of other RW options. We might find that a player like Watson can return us at least a 2nd on the market, and free up some more playing time for our younger RWs. But that would likely be closer to a deadline deal.

If Watson can return a 2nd or 2 good picks then great for future and allow the young RWs play.

I would think that Watson is alot more needed to SSM then McMullen.

 

[OMG67]

we seem to be on the same page. im not sure that there is anyone that is truly being blocked and if anything, it allows kids to play more regulated and smarter minutes. throw the 02 against the harder competition, let the kid play more strategically.

That should always be the right decision in my mind.

A lot of people seem to have the sense that more ice is better. It’s not necessarily the case. I think putting kids in situations they can handle while also challenging them in controlled situations is better than simply throwing them to the wolves.

As mentioned previously, if there is a lack of centre depth and you are trying to develop young wingers, it is better to have the solid veteran with them as opposed to a 16 year old rookie.

Not all ice time is advantageous ice time.

On top of all that, you have fans paying decent $$$ to watch the games. You show them a little respect and put a reasonable team on the ice.

 

[DeletedAccountt]

Alex Johnston got picked up in Ottawa last year after being waived in the Soo, and played 3rd line all season as an OA I believe. @OMG67 is that where he played?

Alex Johnston can skate..... lol

For a team not returning alot from last season, I think a guy like McMullen helps with the transitional year

Transition to what? Can you name me 5 things he's good at that you'd want to teach your younger player? Nothing against Keegan I'm sure he's a great kid, but he has a ton of bad habits and is not very skillful with his good habits. I don't know, maybe I'm being too hard on him but as I go through the roster I feel my stomach turn trying to find him a place over some of the younger guys haha.

It probably helps that McMullen's cousin is Terry Crisp. I don't think the Hounds will do anything drastic with McMullen. Probably ride his career out here even if he doesn't contribute haha.

 

[DeletedAccountt]

That should always be the right decision in my mind.

A lot of people seem to have the sense that more ice is better. It’s not necessarily the case. I think putting kids in situations they can handle while also challenging them in controlled situations is better than simply throwing them to the wolves.

As mentioned previously, if there is a lack of centre depth and you are trying to develop young wingers, it is better to have the solid veteran with them as opposed to a 16 year old rookie.

Not all ice time is advantageous ice time.

On top of all that, you have fans paying decent $$$ to watch the games. You show them a little respect and put a reasonable team on the ice.

the key word here is bolded.

Hounds are likely to find a more SOLID OA from a team that's dropped one than keeping McMullen. I do AGREE with what you're saying about having an OA in the position to develop, im just challenging if McMullen is that OA you're speaking of.

Our fans are tired of respect( cannot speak for all, obviously lol)... we want a championship run, a championship team. I think our fans would accept 1 down year to get to that goal. We've been blessed with some good teams and good hockey but we need to learn from the mistakes....they JUST WERENT GOOD ENOUGH. I'm not saying intentionally miss the playoffs, but I won't be sad if we don't make it this year.

 

[DeletedAccountt]

I double-posted and don't know how to delete this post...LOL

 

[HockeyPops]

I double-posted and don't know how to delete this post...LOL

You just did

 

[HockeyPops]

McMullen was still good enough to play 3rd line last year on a pretty deep forward corps. I think he is a bit better than spare parts. He may also bring other intangibles like leadership on the ice and in the room, etc. Certainly he seems to be in the plans for this management to keep him this season. The preseason roster at one point in time had him and Watson as the only two OAs, while Thompson and Halushak battled it out for the 3rd spot and neither were listed on the roster until that battle was decided.

 

[OHL Fan]

Erie played their 3 OAs alot last year in key times and on top 6-9 most of the year. The only OA that deserved that ice was Damato kid, and other 2 took away from the development of their younger kids. When a prospect loses almost a full year of high level development, it stalls the growth of the team.