Sudbury Wolves 2023-24 Season Thread (Part One)

[I Loveallsports]

Quiet in here tonight

This pp has been talked about going on 2 years now . No creativity . Mix it up a bit. Why do you need the entire musty line on the 1st pp
Try Pharhand in front of the net. Give him a little more responsibility which might help his confidence. 4th round pic playing 3rd or 4 line. Little bit of pk and no pp.

 

[djscooter]

Quiet in here tonight

This pp has been talked about going on 2 years now . No creativity . Mix it up a bit. Why do you need the entire musty line on the 1st pp
Try Pharhand in front of the net. Give him a little more responsibility which might help his confidence. 4th round pic playing 3rd or 4 line. Little bit of pk and no pp.

Pharand should try to earn some ice time. I don't remember the last time I was so disappointed with the lack of progression in a player. For a local kid, he sure looks like he does not want to play for the Wolves.

 

[jamo27]

My opinion is Pharand is suffering from bad coaching. I’m really not seeing anyone improving. The power play is terrible for a team with this much talent. We will see the wolves add a bunch more talent and they will steam roll the sellers with one man show hockey for the rest of the regular season, but get upset in the playoffs by a disciplined better coached team. This staff is in over their heads.

 

[djscooter]

My opinion is Pharand is suffering from bad coaching. I’m really not seeing anyone improving. The power play is terrible for a team with this much talent. We will see the wolves add a bunch more talent and they will steam roll the sellers with one man show hockey for the rest of the regular season, but get upset in the playoffs by a disciplined better coached team. This staff is in over their heads.

He may be suffering from bad coaching as far as offensive production goes. But his effort level is non-existent, he's invisible on the forecheck, he's not winning puck battles.

Regardless, I definitely agree that this team is toast with the current coaching. Could end up being the biggest waste of potential in Wolves history.

 

[jamo27]

If he was playing in London I’m sure you’d see a different player.

This team is poorly coached. Prove me wrong…

 

[I Loveallsports]

My opinion is Pharand is suffering from bad coaching. I’m really not seeing anyone improving. The power play is terrible for a team with this much talent. We will see the wolves add a bunch more talent and they will steam roll the sellers with one man show hockey for the rest of the regular season, but get upset in the playoffs by a disciplined better coached team. This staff is in over their heads.

Bad coaching and quite possible be the outcome season end. What RP is hoping for is that the talent he'll add, will over shadow McKenzie. Making his job alot easier.

It's their job to try and get a player going. You think the Hawks are happy having a 4th roung pic playing bottom minutes with no pp time. How does that help him or the wolves. At least 2nd pp. Give him some second line time. See how it goes. What do you have to lose. It's not like the 2nd line is lighting it up. Heck, I wouldn't be highly motivated playing with the likes of Coughlan and Yearwood at times.

If he was playing in London I’m sure you’d see a different player.

This team is poorly coached. Prove me wrong…

Facts

 

[Krangers08]

My opinion is Pharand is suffering from bad coaching. I’m really not seeing anyone improving. The power play is terrible for a team with this much talent. We will see the wolves add a bunch more talent and they will steam roll the sellers with one man show hockey for the rest of the regular season, but get upset in the playoffs by a disciplined better coached team. This staff is in over their heads.

Send him to the rangers for Mitch Martin, then ship out one the OAs

 

[Wolf on a Wire]

Not a comfortable win last night at the OL Barn. Line#1 still seems off, not connected or on the same page.
Everything seemed great until about the 8min mark of first when this line over extended their shift.
Next line out did the same resulting in tired forwards providing no back pressure on plays coming into our zone.
Along with tired forwards, our D was stretched thin early when DeAngelis stood up for Delic (rightly so).
From there to the end of the game it was more of the same. Too long on the ice and over handling the puck resulting in unnecessary turnovers in the OZ.
PP needs to get figured out. It seems one dimensional as we always set up from hash marks to the blue line (top of umbrella). Being one dimensional, it seems easy to defend. Would like to see some more down low plays mixed in making our PP less predictable. Add in more movement and quicker puck movement and it can only help what seems to be a lethargic man advantage special team.
While on the PP and lines, might be time to mix it up. To me Dvorsky seems to be ignored currently on his line, maybe because he is the only defensively responsible? Not sure but he needs to be key piece on PP.
Not sure of the timelines for Mania and Toure, but we need help on back end!!
Chucky was AWESOME!!
Go Wolves Go

 

[dirty12]

If he was playing in London I’m sure you’d see a different player.

This team is poorly coached. Prove me wrong…

Given the opportunity, London would have traded Pharrand.

 

[WeThe North]

Top 3 fwds

Coughlan +9
Goyette +8
Musty +5


There’s a lot of angry fans players or dads here trying to put down the first line all the time. Djscooter has clearly stopped his medication he keeps barking all the time at the same player, still a teen, every game. Goyette only scored 73 goals in the last 2 seasons next one close to him is Musty with 38.

Without a good coach everybody looks bad. Plain simple.

 

[Wolves fan]

4 on 4 In the 3rd period with a 1 goal lead we put 4th line players on the ice. Put some good players on Coach. Ken its time for you to go back assistant GM. Your ruining this team will all your little mistakes. It suppose to be our year

 

[EvenSteven]

Send him to the rangers for Mitch Martin, then ship out one the OAs

I want more for Martin than a hugely underachieving 05. But if the Wolves want to add Pharand in as an afterthought in a bigger deal (you know who is at 17 goals now. That’s a 70 goal pace), then I’m ok with that.

 

[cub]

a lot of criticism on coach Mckenzie I find humorous, I find it way to early put him down at this point of the season. PP and PK being reflects on coaching, right now PP doing poorly its fair to criticize coaching on that, however Wolves have not been over 20 percent on the PP since 2019.

Don't forget Ken was behind the bench most the season last year, so he has feel for this team not new coming in. I feel he has handled the team discipline pretty well so far this year, he nipped it in the butt pretty quick benching guys costing team by taking bad penalties.

Team D has been very good so far, better than I expected, I'm pretty sure Wolves have the best record on opposition shots on goal. There are many periods of hockey the opposition have less than 10 shots. I've seen as low as 1 shot given in 1 period. That tells me Wolves have a good system in place. D move puck well out of zone on the most part, and whole team responsible defensively. We have been short handed on D for a few games and still playing well. This reflects on coaching.

Offensively we are one most talented team in the league, we outshoot the opposition most nights, however I would like to see better execution on grade A chances, find when we should shoot, an extra pass is tried. However shows players on the team are not selfish. I don't like some of the long shifts some players take regularly.

Ken McKenzie is one of the winningest coaches in Wolves history, he has the credentials and shouldn't be underestimated.

 

[howlman]

Lots of crying and complaining.. Yes there's always room for improvement, but Wolves currently sitting only 2 points out of 1st place in the entire league.. food for thought

 

[wobby77]

I found this online.....

Foligno was head coach of the OHL's Sudbury Wolves for seven seasons from 2003-04 through 2009-10 and, with 189 regular-season victories, is the winningest coach in franchise history. He led the club to the 2006-07 Eastern Conference Championship and in 2009-10 served the dual role of head coach and general manager.

I'm not saying you are wrong about McKenzie. but when a team needs a shakeup. the coach is the 1st domino to go.

 

[cub]

I found this online.....

Foligno was head coach of the OHL's Sudbury Wolves for seven seasons from 2003-04 through 2009-10 and, with 189 regular-season victories, is the winningest coach in franchise history. He led the club to the 2006-07 Eastern Conference Championship and in 2009-10 served the dual role of head coach and general manager.

I'm not saying you are wrong about McKenzie. but when a team needs a shakeup. the coach is the 1st domino to go.

you maybe correct on this but Mckenzie had the record prior. Shake up for what reason are they in last place?

 

[billoink]

a lot of criticism on coach Mckenzie I find humorous, I find it way to early put him down at this point of the season. PP and PK being reflects on coaching, right now PP doing poorly its fair to criticize coaching on that, however Wolves have not been over 20 percent on the PP since 2019.

Don't forget Ken was behind the bench most the season last year, so he has feel for this team not new coming in. I feel he has handled the team discipline pretty well so far this year, he nipped it in the butt pretty quick benching guys costing team by taking bad penalties.

Team D has been very good so far, better than I expected, I'm pretty sure Wolves have the best record on opposition shots on goal. There are many periods of hockey the opposition have less than 10 shots. I've seen as low as 1 shot given in 1 period. That tells me Wolves have a good system in place. D move puck well out of zone on the most part, and whole team responsible defensively. We have been short handed on D for a few games and still playing well. This reflects on coaching.

Offensively we are one most talented team in the league, we outshoot the opposition most nights, however I would like to see better execution on grade A chances, find when we should shoot, an extra pass is tried. However shows players on the team are not selfish. I don't like some of the long shifts some players take regularly.

Ken McKenzie is one of the winningest coaches in Wolves history, he has the credentials and shouldn't be underestimated.

Well put, hard to argue any of your points.

 

[wobby77]

you maybe correct on this but Mckenzie had the record prior. Shake up for what reason are they in last place?

You are correct, they are not in last place. Where they are in the standings is just from pure talent, and without leadership.
just my opinion. we all like picking on the top line. with all that talent on the top line, why are the only options for our defensemen have when they have the puck behind our net is to try and skate through the whole team or to try and make a hell Mary pass through 3-4 guy because our three forwards are sitting at the opposition blueline waiting for a pass.
I said it before, a team has leader and followers. when the others see the way the top line playing, and gets away with it. why not do the same.
The way this team is playing right now, I know it early. Without leadership from the older players and coaches. they will not go far into the playoffs.
Again... Just my opinion. hope they prove me wrong.

 

[cub]

You are correct, they are not in last place. Where they are in the standings is just from pure talent, and without leadership.
just my opinion. we all like picking on the top line. with all that talent on the top line, why are the only options for our defensemen have when they have the puck behind our net is to try and skate through the whole team or to try and make a hell Mary pass through 3-4 guy because our three forwards are sitting at the opposition blueline waiting for a pass.
I said it before, a team has leader and followers. when the others see the way the top line playing, and gets away with it. why not do the same.
The way this team is playing right now, I know it early. Without leadership from the older players and coaches. they will not go far into the playoffs.
Again... Just my opinion. hope they prove me wrong.

Must be watching different game

 

[Section5Petes]

Trust the process fellow Wolves fans. This is a top tier team that will only get better by the deadline and has as good a chance as any to be the last team standing. Petes fans know this pain all too well from last season but cooler heads will always prevail. Sure it may be tough to always stay the course but that it was unknowns will do to you. its a long season, enjoy the ride

 

[Lycanthrope]

You are correct, they are not in last place. Where they are in the standings is just from pure talent, and without leadership.
just my opinion. we all like picking on the top line. with all that talent on the top line, why are the only options for our defensemen have when they have the puck behind our net is to try and skate through the whole team or to try and make a hell Mary pass through 3-4 guy because our three forwards are sitting at the opposition blueline waiting for a pass.
I said it before, a team has leader and followers. when the others see the way the top line playing, and gets away with it. why not do the same.
The way this team is playing right now, I know it early. Without leadership from the older players and coaches. they will not go far into the playoffs.
Again... Just my opinion. hope they prove me wrong.

I agree this team has been doing better than expected on defence but even though it’s early I think it’s fair to have some concerns on offence. Why on earth does the first line insist on emulating the Globetrotters and scoring only highlight reel goals? Way way too many passes. I think a good coach will easily recognize these tendencies and adjust their game plan accordingly. That’s why the Wolves have a tough time with North Bay and Ottawa before that. Clog up the middle. I would just like to see the team simplify their game. For example shoot the puck more! Rather than make too many passes, establish a screen and shoot from the point more. All kinds of things can happen, a deflection a rebound etc. Also would like to see the team do the unexpected more often and not be so predictable by telegraphing when they’re going to shoot and giving the opposition too much time to be set and react. More one timers. I know I didn’t feel great about the game last night. It seemed to me like the way the team plays right now (the first line for sure) leaves them vulnerable to good coaching. I worry the book will be out on how to defend against us. The raw talent on this team can make up for some of this now but it will only get tougher as things tighten up down the stretch and in the playoffs. Let’s hope these things are being noticed and addressed by the coaching staff. Impressed with Mcallum’s post game demeanour and comments.

 

[Duke of Wellington]

Thought the Wolves generated a lot of chances off the cycle in the first vs the Ice Dogs. Would love to see them attack the offensive zone wide with speed more. Wouldn't be at all disappointed to see them break up the top line and see if that can generate consistent offensive attack depth in their lines. Might be hard to line match. Not enough puck for Musty Goyette and Dvorsky to share. They all like to drive the play. How's this for lines?
Musty Dvorsky Pharand/McCallum
Delic Goyette Konyen
Walton Villy Pharand/McCallum
Taylor Yearwood Larmand Coughlan

 

[WeThe North]

I wonder why Pastrnak Bergeron and Marchand never got split ? because they were too strong together. Same for all the top lines in the NHL or any other league. Get a better second centerman and you have two top lines.

 

[Voice from the North]

Thought the Wolves generated a lot of chances off the cycle in the first vs the Ice Dogs. Would love to see them attack the offensive zone wide with speed more. Wouldn't be at all disappointed to see them break up the top line and see if that can generate consistent offensive attack depth in their lines. Might be hard to line match. Not enough puck for Musty Goyette and Dvorsky to share. They all like to drive the play. How's this for lines?
Musty Dvorsky Pharand/McCallum
Delic Goyette Konyen
Walton Villy Pharand/McCallum
Taylor Yearwood Larmand Coughlan

I like this and this rationale fits, especially the line matching part.

I wonder why Pastrnak Bergeron and Marchand never got split ? because they were too strong together. Same for all the top lines in the NHL or any other league. Get a better second centerman and you have two top lines.

It’s an apples and oranges comparison. Those three players fit together because they are all different and play different roles on the line plus they had Krejci and Zacha and Hall and others behind them. These three are not strong together, other lower lines are more productive. If you split the Wolves line up and put Goyette or Dvorsky on line 1A, who does the other team key in on? You have two lines to worry about. You have players on two lines who can do it on their own if necessary or makes lesser line mates better. I recall Goyette-Delic-Konyen being a pretty good line.
Top lines in the NHL rarely have their best three offensive players together unless it’s on the PP and even that’s rare. Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh, Chicago, LA are all recent cup winning examples of this

 

[djscooter]

I wonder why Pastrnak Bergeron and Marchand never got split ? because they were too strong together. Same for all the top lines in the NHL or any other league. Get a better second centerman and you have two top lines.

This is especially a hilarious statement when you consider the most common lines in Boston last year were

Brad Marchand – Patrice Bergeron – Jake DeBrusk
Pavel Zacha/Hall - David Krejci - David Pastrnak


But hey, we wolves fans never let facts get in the way of our opinions, myself included.


I'm sure we can all agree on one thing, Toure and Mania can't return soon enough. Protz has been a huge surprise with how well he's played, but the 0:05 of ice time they give O'Dell, and the constant giveaways(one yesterday leading directly to a goal) from Pryce leave us playing with 4 ohl caliber d-men right now.