SSM Greyhounds 2023-2024 Off-Season Thread (Part 1)

[saska sault]

I'll admit I don't follow the Greyhounds like I use to, or the OHL in general. Was a long time season ticket holder but there is something strange about the fact we have a hockey crazed city, ownership that seems (on the outside) to want to spare no expense to put a quality team together, a prestigious history of great teams, players that graduate to the pros and yet... 1993 can't be repeated. I do think we win if a guy named McDavid never came around the same time but that's life.

As for the ticket manager, that's a strange position to have turn over. It's not directly related to the on ice product or front office but they can't keep anyone around.

 

[DWI Dale]

it starts to feel like they're more concerned with annual playoff revenue than actually winning a championship when you see us repeating the same playbook every year.

telling the fans how good we are while producing a string of playoff misses and 2nd round exits in "contending" years will inevitably cause fans to stay home. i'm just one anecdotal case, but my enthusiasm for spending 80 dollars for an evening out with family has been diminished by the on-ice product, not by who is in charge of marketing ticket sales lol.

so if ticket sales have dropped and that played any part in this employees firing, the team needs to look in the mirror. we're obviously not privy to the whole story but such a high turnover for any job always points to the employer, not the employees.

 

[HockeyPops]

Are we sure there was a firing?

I suspect the job does not pay very well. As per the posting,
"base pay plus commission"

 

[DWI Dale]

Low pay is definitely a valid reason, if not the most common reason for high turnover. This sounds a little more personal.

 

[JoeSchmo]

Are we sure there was a firing?

I suspect the job does not pay very well. As per the posting,
"base pay plus commission"

100% was and it was not based on work performance.

Greyhounds' first-round pick chooses Harvard over the Sault

Selected 18th overall in this year's draft, Ryder Cali's commitment to the NCAA caught the Soo Greyhounds and general manager Kyle Raftis by surprise

www.sootoday.com

Cali must be traded sooner rather than later..

 

[OHL4Life]

100% was and it was not based on work performance.

Greyhounds' first-round pick chooses Harvard over the Sault

Selected 18th overall in this year's draft, Ryder Cali's commitment to the NCAA caught the Soo Greyhounds and general manager Kyle Raftis by surprise

www.sootoday.com

Cali must be traded sooner rather than later..

Bizarre, I was posting on here that he has a lot of school interest before and when the soo drafted him. Raftis can’t say there was no hints, if I knew he should and would have known

 

[Kingpin794]

Bizarre, I was posting on here that he has a lot of school interest before and when the soo drafted him. Raftis can’t say there was no hints, if I knew he should and would have known

Oh he did know. This is just him saving face in front on the average fan. Put in on the kid etc. The average fan might read the soo today article but not many of them will be on here. So a good chunk of the fans might buy that he was caught off guard. I don't think it'll get him too much more leash though.

 

[Mikey71]

As a former season ticket holder for multiple seasons, I am out. I won't spend another dime on this team. If the GM doesn't take this organization seriously, I won't either. It is insane to not have a 3rd and still take such huge risks like he did. There is no excuse here to just half ass the effort to build a contending team. It has been WAY too long since this team has been fun to watch in terms of legit contention. Not the "could beat this team or that team in the playoffs".. I mean serious favorite to go far in the playoffs.

This past draft has set this team back way further with no indication of what future year they are setting up for because there isn't one.

 

[saska sault]

As a former season ticket holder for multiple seasons, I am out. I won't spend another dime on this team. If the GM doesn't take this organization seriously, I won't either. It is insane to not have a 3rd and still take such huge risks like he did. There is no excuse here to just half ass the effort to build a contending team. It has been WAY too long since this team has been fun to watch in terms of legit contention. Not the "could beat this team or that team in the playoffs".. I mean serious favorite to go far in the playoffs.

This past draft has set this team back way further with no indication of what future year they are setting up for because there isn't one.

Maple Leaf Syndrome. No pressure to do anything bold because the team is always making money and above average. Loyal fanbase, local support, prestigious history. Sad thing is.. that history is getting old and not added on to.

I would consider myself a life long fan, I had season tickets as my birthday and Christmas gift in the old Memorial Gardens when I was 10 years old, I eventually transferred those to the new Steelback Centre. There was a paradigm shift in how the arena felt and how the fanbase was at games, it went from an old school hockey barn to a modern/corporate feel.

I think that has slowly worn off over time but the team still lives in a state of complacency. You would never get management to admit it but they have really not truly went for it IMO since the year they lost to Erie. The fact you tried to make a run for it, didn't sell, and now have no 1st, 2nd, or 3rd round picks to develop and make another attempt at a run in another year or 2 is a big hurdle to overcome. There is the chance those players eventually report but that's a gamble you can't make. Maybe we are all proven wrong but unless Raftis can unload them in the trade window for a good haul, it's a big loss.

 

[JoeSchmo]

What team wants Cali? He’s not leaving Harvard, would you?

I don’t even see Kyle Raftis making it work.

 

[Kingpin794]

What team wants Cali? He’s not leaving Harvard, would you?

I don’t even see Kyle Raftis making it work.

I can think of one team that seems to love these kind of deals.

 

[JoeSchmo]

I can think of one team that seems to love these kind of deals.

Haha, I can’t think of a time the Soo and London made a deal that made sense though

 

[DWI Dale]

If this is one of those scenarios where he's "committing" to NCAA to get on the OHL roster he wants I'd either call his bluff and let him go stateside or make sure the other team gets fleeced in a trade.

But I would think he's chosen Harvard because it's a prestigious education that will open many hockey and non-hockey related doors and I applaud him for doing what he thinks is best, even if it makes me sad lol.

You can't fault a kid whose long term goals allow for both professional hockey and a killer career post-hockey. The CHL needs to do something to stem the tide of players going stateside if it wishes to remain the premier Jr Hockey system in the world.

Haha, I can’t think of a time the Soo and London made a deal that made sense though

I feel like the Hunters would rather peel off their skin with a dull potato peeler than make a deal with us, but maybe kitchener?

 

[DWI Dale]

As a former season ticket holder for multiple seasons, I am out. I won't spend another dime on this team. If the GM doesn't take this organization seriously, I won't either. It is insane to not have a 3rd and still take such huge risks like he did. There is no excuse here to just half ass the effort to build a contending team. It has been WAY too long since this team has been fun to watch in terms of legit contention. Not the "could beat this team or that team in the playoffs".. I mean serious favorite to go far in the playoffs.

This past draft has set this team back way further with no indication of what future year they are setting up for because there isn't one.

i had seasons tickets for 12 years but dropped them after the 2018/19 season. it was partly just being too busy to attend as many games as i'd like, but also related to the disappointment that we held on to players like Hayton and Frost, knowing we weren't going deep in the playoffs and knowing they wouldn't be back. it was a warning sign of what was to come and the beginning of our mediocrity imo.

 

[Kingpin794]

If this is one of those scenarios where he's "committing" to NCAA to get on the OHL roster he wants I'd either call his bluff and let him go stateside or make sure the other team gets fleeced in a trade.

But I would think he's chosen Harvard because it's a prestigious education that will open many hockey and non-hockey related doors and I applaud him for doing what he thinks is best, even if it makes me sad lol.

You can't fault a kid whose long term goals allow for both professional hockey and a killer career post-hockey. The CHL needs to do something to stem the tide of players going stateside if it wishes to remain the premier Jr Hockey system in the world.



I feel like the Hunters would rather peel off their skin with a dull potato peeler than make a deal with us, but maybe kitchener?

Does it though? Sure there are more guys going NCAA than say 20 even 10 years ago but its still only a handful of guys. CHL (well 2/3 of it) is still the best jr hockey league in the world by a good margin. The USHL has gotten better but its still no where near as deep as the OHL or WHL. I don't count the NCAA itself as a junior league. That's a men's league that happens to have a few junior players in it. Also the pipeline goes both ways. Americans are still coming to the CHL and I'd argue the CHL gets better European players than NCAA feeder leagues. If a few kids decide that the NCAA is better for them, ok then. The OHL will still pump out several 1st rounders and dozens of draft picks every year even without them.

 

[DWI Dale]

I feel like more US players staying home and more Canadian kids taking the USHL/NCAA route is bad for the CHL and bad for individual teams that select these players but that's just my 2 cents.

 

[OHL4Life]

I feel like more US players staying home and more Canadian kids taking the USHL/NCAA route is bad for the CHL and bad for individual teams that select these players but that's just my 2 cents.

I’d be interested to see the numbers. They may loose a few more high end kids but the market for 3/4th line Canadian kids has totally dried up. I think the d1 commits out of Ontario tier 2 are at record lows

 

[HockeyPops]

A non reporting first rounder is not the end of the world. You can trade his rights for something and get another first rounder. Even missing on a second rounder is not the end of the world. There are times when you swing for the fences, knowing you can move your contending window around based on whether you hit or miss.

If we had drafted Cloutier last year, this wouldn't be as big a deal. Disappointing, sure, but not the end of the world. If it was Brown last year, no biggie either. But you have Martin and Hayes. They need a supporting cast NOW. This is a catastrophic miss. Full stop.

Sigh.

 

[Savard18]

A non reporting first rounder is not the end of the world. You can trade his rights for something and get another first rounder. Even missing on a second rounder is not the end of the world. There are times when you swing for the fences, knowing you can move your contending window around based on whether you hit or miss.

If we had drafted Cloutier last year, this wouldn't be as big a deal. Disappointing, sure, but not the end of the world. If it was Brown last year, no biggie either. But you have Martin and Hayes. They need a supporting cast NOW. This is a catastrophic miss. Full stop.

Sigh.

What completely blows my mind is that he gambled the 1st AND 2nd round picks when they didn’t have a 3rd?!?!? Was there nobody in the draft room saying “Uhmmmm, Kyle. Maaaaybbeee we shouldn’t….” I don’t think either of them ever show in the OHL. So. There is a small bit of redemption possible though. They trade Cali for a 7th rounder or whatever with conditionals. Do they ever see them? I highly doubt it. They HAVE to declare him defective though. That should give them one high 1st round pick in the 2025 draft and one late in the 1st round. They need to maximize asset acquisition at the deadline this year. Preferably acquiring picks in the 2025 draft and the 2027 and 2028 drafts. Theoretically leaving them with a surplus of 17yo’s they can move when Martin and Hayes are 19 and a surplus of picks they can move at the same time. It certainly isn’t the way you’d write things up but what’s done is done. It’s a band-aid that still leaves the franchise with some concerns over the next two cycles but it’s a band-aid that might work.

 

[OHLfan200]

Trying to figure out the Greyhounds current draft capital.. Does this look right?

 

[DWI Dale]

look at all those holes!

there's no path forward for the current regime is there? i hope someone knowledgeable and trustworthy has Lukendas ear. this sucks.

can someone do a wellness check on Fischhaber?

 

[digicamo]

look at all those holes!

there's no path forward for the current regime. i hope someone close to Lukenda is in his ear pointing out the unmitigated shitshow Raftis has orchestrated. it's time to get houndpower back on track.

can someone do a wellness check on Fischhaber?

Curious what Soo fans think - do guys like Martin and Hayes request a trade within the next 12 months or sooner if they don’t see a path to contention in a few years?

 

[DWI Dale]

I have no idea.

I hope they had a good enough experience last season on and off the ice that they want to win here, but I'd be shocked if their agents haven't reached out to the organization with some concerns about what has transpired and what is going to be done to fix it.

It's hard to see how a GM that doesn't think he screwed up can be expected to fix a problem he doesn't think he created.

I'm just sick of the gaslighting from the org and over-invested fans. Ice a team that goes deep or shut up. But the org itself is to blame for the playoff misses, early exits, AND missing out to a better constructed saggy on hosting the mem cup.

 

[HockeyPops]

If we can't contend with Hayes and Martin, they better get traded. But hopefully not until the deadline of their final year. The only reason to do it sooner is either A) to appease agents, or B) because they knocked the 2025 draft out of the park and want to build around that group. But still that's probably a year and a half away from trading them.

 

[JoeSchmo]

Curious what Soo fans think - do guys like Martin and Hayes request a trade within the next 12 months or sooner if they don’t see a path to contention in a few years?

No

If we can't contend with Hayes and Martin, they better get traded. But hopefully not until the deadline of their final year. The only reason to do it sooner is either A) to appease agents, or B) because they knocked the 2025 draft out of the park and want to build around that group. But still that's probably a year and a half away from trading them.

I know I’ve been highly critical of what has happened but I do think they will turn this around. Absolutely have to nail the draft and/or make the right moves this year.