Prospect Info: Syracuse Crunch, Orlando Solar Bears & Prospects

[TheDaysOf 04]

1 goal & 2 assists for Connor Kurth who is having a great start to his junior season

 

[TheDaysOf 04]

assist for Gagne



Goal for Pitre



Goal #6 for Gauthier

 

[LordStanlersCup]

Dureau looked really impressive tonight

 

[Felonious Python]

Klavs Veinbergs Colorado College #24 Forward

 

[LordStanlersCup]

How long is it going to take Sheary to report to Syracuse? I thought he would have been with the team by now

edit: Favale just announced he is supposed to arrive this weekend

 

[TheDaysOf 04]

1 goal + 1 assist for Harvey





goals in back to back games for Pitre

 

[TheDaysOf 04]

Crunch fall 3-2 to the Baby Pens who had the help of Tristan Jarry who was just sent down by Pittsburgh on a conditioning loan

Huuhtanen, Goncalves, and Szturc with 1 assist each

Gabriel Szturc leads the Crunch in assists with 5 in 7 games.



goal for Howard

https://x.com/i/web/status/1850340925060604202

assist for Hagen Burrows

 

[Felonious Python]

I've had less time with the Solar Bears new white jersey, but I think that the pants need to change. Solid purple.

I make it no secret I didn't like the kit the team has worn the past number of years. Grafting teal on doesn't necessarily make it better.

The old design was a copy of the Pittsburgh Penguins, with some stuff added in. The new design is a copy of the old one, with some more new stuff added in.

I will give credit where it's due, I like the typeface for the numbers, although I've felt that the nameplates look too...dainty? They're certainly harder to read from a distance than any opponent. The Penguins kit is chunky all around, including the names and numbers, and it works for them.

I'd have dumpstered the whole thing and started over, but the new dark sweater turned out pretty good. I feel that the elements come together nicely, and the dainty nameplates sort of work with that one.

The core issue is that the lights and darks are essentially different designs, but they're forced to share some of my least favorite elements from the past few years.


I always say to start with the pants. They don't change between uniforms, so you need to build around them.

The pants work for the Penguins because they have the restraint to stay away from the minor league inclination for maximalism. You don't, and can't, do every thing. You have to subtract at some point. Kill something.


The white kit isn't working for me because the pants are too loud for what is meant to be a very straightforward design.

The alternative would be to essentially dump the jersey. Start firing up some possible white alternates before the jersey switch, and go with the best one for the playoffs.


Also, I'm sorry, but having the Lightning's logo on the shoulders is lame. I'm a Lightning fan, on a Lightning board saying that. We want our guys to be leaders, but we bend a knee and put someone else's logo on our sweater.

 

[TheDaysOf 04]

The 2 hottest goal scorers right now in the prospect pool - Connor Kurth and Ethan Gauthier

 

[Felonious Python]

 

[Felonious Python]

fashion bros, is this too much?

 

[Felonious Python]

My attempt at showing what a solid pant would look like.

It's fine. It's still a bit busy, but the jersey is the highlight now.

 

[LordStanlersCup]

fashion bros, is this too much?

Im not a fan of the stripes in the mid section, feels like it takes away from the logo and makes it look too cluttered imo

 

[Felonious Python]

Im not a fan of the stripes in the mid section, feels like it takes away from the logo and makes it look too cluttered imo

My interpretation is that it's like a jersey from the early 80s, so they have to almost lean into that.

I would consider the dark sweater an improvement, but the whites are a downgrade from last year.

 

[LordStanlersCup]

My interpretation is that it's like a jersey from the early 80s, so they have to almost lean into that.

I would consider the dark sweater an improvement, but the whites are a downgrade from last year.

yeah but even when the NHL makes updated retro jerseys they tend to simplify them and make then look more modern while keeping some of the main aspects of the old jerseys. This would probably look terrible but if they really wanted to lean into the 80s/90s vibe having this as their elbow and mid section stripes would be hilarious

 

[Felonious Python]

yeah but even when the NHL makes updated retro jerseys they tend to simplify them and make then look more modern while keeping some of the main aspects of the old jerseys. This would probably look terrible but if they really wanted to lean into the 80s/90s vibe having this as their elbow and mid section stripes would be hilarious

View attachment 922471

The Bears started in the jazzy cup era of the 90s, so it actually makes quite a bit of sense.

I think they were going for the Calgary Flames, inspired by their early 80s look.

I like the Flames sweaters, but OSB decided to carry forward some of the weaker aspects of their previous kit.

Just because a word processor has buttons for italics, bold, underline, and strike-through, doesn't mean you use them all on every thing, every time.

 

[HoseEmDown]

Yeah, they need to tone down the orange. I'm impartial to the IHL colors which had no orange and much more teal. They need more purple, go back to 90's teal and maybe replace the black with the orange. Orange can be a 3rd jersey but really shouldn't be on the main aside from the sun around shades.

 

[These Are The Days]

Everyday I wake up and see these guys consistently find highlight reels and scoring sheets and I tell myself "That's what a mediocre farm system looks like baby"

 

[Felonious Python]

Yeah, they need to tone down the orange. I'm impartial to the IHL colors which had no orange and much more teal. They need more purple, go back to 90's teal and maybe replace the black with the orange. Orange can be a 3rd jersey but really shouldn't be on the main aside from the sun around shades.

I'm okay with using orange for trim and limited spots.

 

[TheDaysOf 04]

First goal of the season for Klavs Veinbergs

 

[LordStanlersCup]

October Prospect Rankings:

The only players that I think are NHL ready are Groshev and Duke. Possibly Dureau, I just need a bigger sample size and its very hard to tell with Howard who could possibly be.

1) Groshev- Still doing almost the best he can with limited ice time, but would like to see him have more confidence when in 1 on 1 scenarios instead of always trying to drive wide or chip it around the defender.
2) Duke- Has translated really well to the AHL and his production could be a lot higher if the powerplay was better.
3) Dureau- Has played really well overall but during the first WBS game he hit another level with the moves he was pulling off. You can tell he has some confidence to his game and the skill to match it. Great speed, stick handling and is committed to playing D.
4) Huuhtanen- He has honestly played better than I thought he would 5v5 and his skating isn't preventing him from keeping up with the play but I need him to start getting some clean shots off. A major reason he was so successful in Jukurit was his one timer and all of his shots with Syracuse so far have either been flubbed or blocked.
5) Howard- He had 2 great toe drag wristers to start the season but still is not playing like in NTDP. At this point I am just waiting for him to play with players that were at the level of Nazar and Brindley which probably won't come until his NHL debut.
6) Saarelainen- Has done really well with limited minutes in Kalpa and during his stint in the U20's his skill and playmaking ability were on full display. I liked his 200ft game and want to see him get more minutes.
7) Shaugabay- Elite offensive vision that can only be described as Kucherov-lite. His saucer passes and ability to find players is really impressive. I need him to put more tenacity in both his forecheck and backcheck and play a complete game.
8) Kurth- Great overall skills but nothing that particularly stands out. I expect his production to go down some as it is insane right now but it should remain fairly high if he stays on the Clark and Wood line. He might be a good trade chip.
9) Carlile- Has played decent for Syracuse so far, good speed but loses his man from time to time.
10) Goncalves- Goncalves looks a step quicker in his short stint back but he is still turning the puck over far too often and doesn't know when to shoot. I really hope Goncalves is able to consistently pull of his dekes this season because when he is able to he is the best player on the ice but inconsistency is holding him back.
11) Gauthier- He still has a great shot but I need to see him put more effort in on the backcheck and become a multi-dimensional playmaker.
12) Crozier- He has had a poor start to the season missing his assignments and missing his passes. He had a great season last year so hopefully he will return to form soon.
13) Powell- He has not looked as dynamic so far but still decently solid defensively. With the teammates he has I need to see more production.
14) Connor- Has good speed but need him to work on his shot and positioning in the O-zone.
15) Steen- Has had very limited minutes (like maybe 5 per game when he isn't scratched) so its hard to get a read but is a great forechecker with some speed.

 

[TheDaysOf 04]

Joona Saarelainen gets named to Finland's national junior team ahead of the Five Nations U-20 tournament in Imatra, Finland (Czechia, Finland, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland)

This is another good opportunity for Saarelainen as he pushes to make Finalnd's WJC team

 

[HoseEmDown]

October Prospect Rankings:

The only players that I think are NHL ready are Groshev and Duke. Possibly Dureau, I just need a bigger sample size and its very hard to tell with Howard who could possibly be.

1) Groshev- Still doing almost the best he can with limited ice time, but would like to see him have more confidence when in 1 on 1 scenarios instead of always trying to drive wide or chip it around the defender.
2) Duke- Has translated really well to the AHL and his production could be a lot higher if the powerplay was better.
3) Dureau- Has played really well overall but during the first WBS game he hit another level with the moves he was pulling off. You can tell he has some confidence to his game and the skill to match it. Great speed, stick handling and is committed to playing D.
4) Huuhtanen- He has honestly played better than I thought he would 5v5 and his skating isn't preventing him from keeping up with the play but I need him to start getting some clean shots off. A major reason he was so successful in Jukurit was his one timer and all of his shots with Syracuse so far have either been flubbed or blocked.
5) Howard- He had 2 great toe drag wristers to start the season but still is not playing like in NTDP. At this point I am just waiting for him to play with players that were at the level of Nazar and Brindley which probably won't come until his NHL debut.
6) Saarelainen- Has done really well with limited minutes in Kalpa and during his stint in the U20's his skill and playmaking ability were on full display. I liked his 200ft game and want to see him get more minutes.
7) Shaugabay- Elite offensive vision that can only be described as Kucherov-lite. His saucer passes and ability to find players is really impressive. I need him to put more tenacity in both his forecheck and backcheck and play a complete game.
8) Kurth- Great overall skills but nothing that particularly stands out. I expect his production to go down some as it is insane right now but it should remain fairly high if he stays on the Clark and Wood line. He might be a good trade chip.
9) Carlile- Has played decent for Syracuse so far, good speed but loses his man from time to time.
10) Goncalves- Goncalves looks a step quicker in his short stint back but he is still turning the puck over far too often and doesn't know when to shoot. I really hope Goncalves is able to consistently pull of his dekes this season because when he is able to he is the best player on the ice but inconsistency is holding him back.
11) Gauthier- He still has a great shot but I need to see him put more effort in on the backcheck and become a multi-dimensional playmaker.
12) Crozier- He has had a poor start to the season missing his assignments and missing his passes. He had a great season last year so hopefully he will return to form soon.
13) Powell- He has not looked as dynamic so far but still decently solid defensively. With the teammates he has I need to see more production.
14) Connor- Has good speed but need him to work on his shot and positioning in the O-zone.
15) Steen- Has had very limited minutes (like maybe 5 per game when he isn't scratched) so its hard to get a read but is a great forechecker with some speed.

Lot of recency bias in this post. Dureau is barely an AHL player still, he's got 2 points in 7 games, it's not like he's setting the league on fire. He's still smallish and doesn't play a bottom 6 game so don't see an NHL player there. Finley isn't even on this list and he has the most NHL style game, obviously health will be his biggest hurdle. Gauthier is definitely NHL caliber, that kid is good and plays a great game that Cooper loves. Goncalves had a good preseason and already a cup of.coffee last year. He might not be more than a depth player but will be a player unlike Dureau.

 

[Felonious Python]

More looks

 

[LordStanlersCup]

Lot of recency bias in this post. Dureau is barely an AHL player still, he's got 2 points in 7 games, it's not like he's setting the league on fire. He's still smallish and doesn't play a bottom 6 game so don't see an NHL player there. Finley isn't even on this list and he has the most NHL style game, obviously health will be his biggest hurdle. Gauthier is definitely NHL caliber, that kid is good and plays a great game that Cooper loves. Goncalves had a good preseason and already a cup of.coffee last year. He might not be more than a depth player but will be a player unlike Dureau.

Yeah I probably should have put that with players I haven't seen a lot there is going to be bigger flucuations because I just have less to go off of. I should have also noted that these are not the players that I think will necessarily have the most success but just the players that I think are the best. For example Szturc already has 5 pts in 7 games but he has not looked very good to me and someone like Groshev who is playing bottom 6 minutes is going to assuredly put up less points than him but Groshev still looks like the way better player to me. The points will come for Dureau if he keeps playing like he has been both to start the year and in training camp. I don't think his size has limited him at all and he has been winning his puck battles and playing great defensively, he looks like a player that would do well up and down the lineup (but again his ranking could flucuate a lot). Finley is way too injury prone and I don't think he has the speed to be an NHL player. He is well rounded but doesn't have any particular attributes that push him to making the jump. Gauthier has an NHL caliber shot and is great at times on the forecheck but defensively he just doesn't put in the same effort and at times he struggles in transition. He has the confidence you would want to see out of a top prospect in terms of dekeing and engaging the defender and but he is not converting at a high enough rate on those rushes much like Goncalves. Goncalves had an okay preseason, not sure I would say it was good and he is definitely next in line to make the team I just think it is kind of unjust relative to the opportunities he has been given. If I just went off of the numbers on EliteProspects I would definitely rank guys like Goncalves, Gauthier, or Finley higher but I am just giving my opinion as someone who watches every game.