Gone Camping Day 2: The Youth
by Daniel AC on Sep 19, 2011 2:16 PM PDT
in Training Camp
Email
PrintDANIEL:
If you missed the explanation of mine and Jen's approach to looking at camp yesterday, go back to the front page and see what read it, and then reread her post by way of an apology. I'd like to say that it's nice to finally be excited about hockey. No matter what I think of the moves Murray made, I love hockey season and I want my team to do well. Having said that, the Ducks have a bevy of young talent and no space for all of it. It's going to be interesting to see how it all plays out. Analysis on individual players after the jump
Nicolas Deschamps: I think Deschamps stood out the most to me among the new faces. He was fast. He was on the puck, and he was putting everything under the crossbar. I fell as though every time I checked on him, he was doing something right. Defensive play was decent. He stayed in passing lanes, but wasn't really pressuring the puck. He looked like a scoring winger. He doesn't have Blake's tenacity, but he seems to have more skill. Deschamps could make a great call up option for the second line if he can't crack the line up out of camp.
Mat Clark: Clark had a couple mistakes early in the day, including some lazy passes, which just can't happen. His shot has gotten better, and so has hit foot speed. He beat Cramarossa in the puck race. I was also pleased to see him lose the race to the puck later in that drill, but keep his feet moving and get in front of his check. His head is still on that swivel, but what he really needs is to work on moving the puck faster. I didn't get a chance to really see Clark in his element, the physical game. However, he's very strong along the boards and will make a great bottom pair guy in the 2012 season. Although, he might have to be a bottom pair guy if Foster's health doesn't improve, because...
Matt Smaby: He was a little unimpressive. He kind of reminded me of those other guys who go with the Spartans in the movie 300. He was all over the place, and didn't show a lot of finesse to his game. I'm not expecting him to be Visnovsky with the puck, but he needed to show me a little more in terms of moving the puck. Right now, nothing I've seen gives me hope for him on our blueline, but he still has something to offer Syracuse. I will also be 100% fair and say this was the second day of camp. It's totally possible he just had a bad day.
Emerson Etem: I was very impressed with Etem, not necessarily because of his play, which was very solid, but how well he adapted. I literally saw him make an error on a drill where players defend against zone entry, and then saw him do a complete turn around for the rest of the drill. But that wasn't the best part. He took Carlyle's advice and applied when he was playing defense during the 5-on-3 drill. He seems to be so coachable and so adaptable. I have high hopes for Etem. It's a shame he'll probably be back in Junior this year. There just doesn't seem to be space for him on the roster. The main thing I'd like to see him improve upon is using his shot as a pass. Every scorer needs to be able to get that shot on net for the rebound. At times, it seemed like Etem only wanted to shoot when he thought he had the perfect window
Devante Smith-Pelly: DSP owned rookie camp earlier this summer, but seemed to be uncharacteristically timid on Sunday. He had trouble burying the puck when he started to win the foot race at center ice and got the breakaway on the goalie. I think that hurt his confidence going forward. He wasn't his usual tenacious self along the boards. He still went to the front of the net, but didn't seem to be effective. He got his pocket picked trying to retreat the puck to the point. Overall, he just had an off day.
Jake Newton: His offensive game is so good, you sometimes forget about the defensive lapses. The shot is beautiful. His passes are crisp. He needs to better at dominating along the boards and staying on his check, and keeping the play in front of him. This will be a key developmental year for Newton in Syracuse. He has all the offensive tools; if his defensive game develops, he'll be a great asset.
Nick Bonino: I know we all think Bonino should be the fourth line center, but I'm not convinced. I wrote my forward preview (going up next week) before this camp writeup, and in it I observed that Bonino still has a lot of offensive potential. I think leaving him on the fourth line is a disservice to him and bad for the Ducks. On Sunday, he further entrenched me into that belief. He has great vision and phenomenal passing abilities. That's not to say that he doesn't have everything you need in a fourth line center. He's very responsible in his own zone. He was 47% on faceoffs in his 26 games in the NHL last year, and managed a respectable -3 considering he didn't score a single point. Can he be the fourth line center? Absolutely. Should he be? I'm just not sure. I think there's a lot more to his offensive game and he has third or even second line potential.
Peter Holland: Speaking of centers. Peter Holland showed up, and he beat Andrew Cogliano in a foot race to the puck. I don't know if that means Cogs is slower than we think or Peter is faster than we think. I suppose only time will tell. Holland falls into a strange category for me. I just don't know what to think of him. He played well, but didn't do anything that really stood out. I think the best thing I saw him do was beat Cogs to that puck. He had already beat Palmieri and I think this influx of speed is a good sign. I still didn't see the power forward moves I've wanted to see from him. He does make great passes, though. I just can't see him anywhere but Syracuse next season.
Kyle Palmieri: I feel the same way about Palmieri that I feel about Holland. He didn't do anything that jumped out at me. That can be a good and a bad thing. The kid is fast and he can shoot; that hasn't changed. But, I didn't see him do anything amazing. He was what I expected. I think I'll have a better sense on Thursday when I can see him in a scrimmage.
Pat Maroon: He was better than advertised. He has an NHL shot, can make good passes, but more importantly, he used his size effectively. He was great along the boards and used his body to create space for himself and his linemates. He looked more like what I was expecting from DSP. I think Pat has a very good chance to make the 23 man roster if he keeps playing like he did on Sunday.
33 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
I know this should probably go under Jen’s column, but what about Mark Bell? Any thoughts from either of you?
He didn’t hit my radar until today, and I’ll have that in my post later this evening. I don’t think it’s a good thing that I didn’t really notice him until today.
"I'm not a lady. I'm a DUCK!" - Connie Moreau, D2: Mighty Ducks
Managing Editor - Anaheim Calling
I was playing close attention yesterday, because I think the Ducks should give him a long consideration for the 4th line center position. You can see my rationale, when SBN finally lets us run our preview posts about the team.
He looks like a veteran hockey player trying out for a team. He’s playing it by the numbers and trying to offer very secure play. That means nothing stands out about him. He’s not fast, but he has an NHL level shot. I think practices where there are no scrimmages make it tough to figure out what a guy is really worth, because the drills only offer so much ability to see how a guy operates. I’ll be paying close attention when i go to the scrimmage Thursday morning.
Great recap, Daniel. I know it’s still in the air, but if Cogs gets bumped up to the wing opposite teemu (which it sounds like is a very legit possibility), who do you think is the front runner for the 3rd line center spot?
I really don’t see Cogs anywhere except the third line. It would be very damaging to our depth. On the third line, Cogliano is a guaranteed 30 points. Add that to the extra production he might squeeze from some consistent linemates and you might get 90-100 points out of the third line this year. If you move him off that line, you’re asking Blake or maybe Bobby Ryan to anchor the third line. Blake is a poor choice, because he’s on his way out, and his play is diminishing. You have to think that he might not be able to produce as well with less talented/developed linemates. Bobby is a poor choice because you want him to continue his solid production. What’s he going to do with less minutes on the third line? It would be a huge slap to the face of a guy who’s supposed to be a budding star of the franchise. I can’t imagine Bobby would take that kind of demotion lying down. Cogliano is the best choice for getting consistent offense out of the third line. Maybe he does it centering the third line, or maybe he does it on the wing while another player plays center, but the Ducks shouldn’t move him off that line unless they are backed into a corner.
However, for the sake of discourse, if you put a gun to my head, I would say the fight is between McMillan and Bonino, with Bonino slightly ahead due to his better faceoff percentage. A third line of McMillan, Bonino and Sexton might not be a terrible thing.
I'd be completely fine
With a McMilan/Bonino/Sexton line. I think you’d get some decent offensive upside as well as a line that’s not going to hurt you on the ice.
And if it’s a choice of Blake vs. Sexton for playing time, I’m all for Sexton. Sadly, I just don’t see Carlyle or Murray making that move.
by PhantomPretender on Sep 19, 2011 7:36 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
I’m thinking we see an all kid 3rd line. I don’t see any reason why not to if cogs and selanne click. You’re 2nd line then becomes one of the fastest in the league, yet also defensively accountable… But I guess we will see.
I really don’t want to see ryan or blake on the 3rd line either, was just thinking aloud. The kids will do a fine job. Blake seems like the odd man out looking at these line combos for camp. He will be on the 4th line or traded.
I would guess Bell and Bonino will be our bottom centers, unless Holland is assured some ice time on that 3rd line. Had maceneour been healthy all camp I would’ve thought him a good 4C option, but thats tough now with the injury.
I don’t see sexton making the team, he did nothing last year to warrant a spot. With the kids getting older and more experienced, I think we’ve seen the last of him here.
Who’s playing NHL GM now…?
Murray wasn’t able to move Blake’s contract this offseason, so there’s no reason to believe it’ll magically be gone by the time camp starts. Where is he going to send Blake that won’t want to send us a contract in return? The chance to dump Blake’s salary is gone.
As for a kid third line, that’s really a hope more than a reality. Yes, you WANT your youth to make a leap and provide security, but it’s not really something you should bank on. Keeping Cogliano on the third line presents match up problems. Moving him up, condenses our scoring and makes it easier for the good teams to roll their top 4 D against our top scoring lines all night.
Bonino really shouldn’t be the fourth line center. He’s better than that. It would be a waste to play him there, when he could be centering the top line in Syracuse
Sexton will make the 23 man roster out of camp. Primarily because he hasn’t done a lot. The Ducks need to know what they have. They’ve invested a two year contract in him. It’s time to see if he can play here or if we need to move him. You might want to argue that his time on the roster will just be an audition for a trade, and that’s fair. But to say he’s gone before the season has even started is very premature.
Doesn’t really make sense to move blakes contract unless teemu was coming back. Thats another roster spot to fill and veteran lost. Now that teemu is back, blake can be moved…. Blakes contract is tough to move, no doubt, but once injuries start occurring around the league blakes contract might not look so bad to other teams.
I agree with you, if the kids can’t form a secure 3rd line, cogs will be playing there. What i’m saying is that I think the kids will form a solid 3rd line and the ducks will have the freedom to move cogs to the 2nd line.
I agree with you about bonino, probably not the best to have him on the 4th. I see him being the 3rd line center or in syracuse. Maceneour is our strongest center defensively (among the ones competing for jobs). Its possible that bell is 3C and Maceneour is 4C if Holland or Bonino dont win the 3C job outright.
What I meant to say was that Sexton will probably be relegated to Syracuse, with a call up here or there. I don’t think he factors into the big club at all.
Actually, it makes more sense to move Blake when we don’t know if Teemu is coming back, because it would have freed cash for a bigger trade, or a roster spot for a younger guy like Etem. There’s a chance something opens up, but I think that won’t happen until a little later in the season, mid November at the earliest. That’s probably 15-20 games in. In speculating what will happen out of camp, Blake being gone just isn’t feasible.
Whether or not the kids can form that third line should be a big IF. With the condensed preseason schedule because of the start in Helsinki, it’s hard to believe anyone will get a good enough look. That means Carlye and Murray will probably choose people with NHL experience unless someone is 150% awesome. I’m just saying, speculating on who will play where based on whether or not kids will step up is a giant gamble, and not the most feasible of possibilities
Macenaur is an option, but he’s been hurt. That means no chance to show his improvement, and probably a trip back to Syracuse.
As for Sexton, he has NHL experience, albeit limited and only marginally productive. He has some scoring touch. The coaching staff knows him. He has the speed to keep up with Cogliano who will be the anchor of the third line when the season starts. More importantly, the organization just committed to him for 2 years. The Ducks need to know what they’ve got, or at the very least audition him to other teams that might be interested. I think that means Sexton starts in the NHL
That being said, where do you think Palmieri fits in? He obviously had a good finish to last year in the AHL, and he did get a call up for the big show, which might suggest that coach may want to use him. But like most of our young players, i cant see him on a 4th line. your thoughts?
by BennyLightning on Sep 19, 2011 10:44 PM PDT up reply actions
He’ll be fighting with Sexton for the 3rd line RW spot.
On a side note, McClement is rumored to possibly be an odd man out in Colorado. Which I thought was interesting because the acquired him for his defensive responsibility but he could fill the bottom 4 role here.
I agree with David that he’s competing with Big Sexy for that third line spot, but I think Sexy has to lose that job.
Honestly David, I’m tired of talking about fourth line centers. We’ve needed one all offseason. We’ve needed to replace Marchant all offseason, and Murray has done absolutely nothing. It’s beyond frustrating.
David, I think depending on how camp shakes out the kids will be givin a shot to fill the bottom 6. We should accept the fact that the time is now for the kids. We don’t need to talk about 3rd and 4th line centers because they are right here in our system.
Rather than being fussy about not signing a FA center, I’m going to get excited to watch the great youth that we have.
Yeah, fussy isn’t a loaded word. I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but there isn’t a traditional bottom 6 forward in the cupboard. I don’t know how many times you need to be told that to understand it.
Told that by who, you? Yes, with all your extensive hockey knowledge i will just concede to your wisdom.
I just think its hilarious that you assume that you know what your talking about. It really is funny.
You’re not going to get your shutdown third line, quit pouting about it and move on. There are plenty of options for a scoring third line in the cupboard.
I think it’s hilarious that you think that you know what you’re talking about. It really is funny.
See how that works.
I’m not pouting about my shutdown line. Again, That’s you trying to put words into my mouth because you can’t understand the real point, and/or can’t make a counter argument.
There are pieces for a third scoring line, but there really isn’t a defensive forward down in the cupboard, and that’s a “traditional” bottom 6 guy. Macenauer is our best option, and that isn’t much of one.
You’re not making an argument, you’re just stating you’re opinion and trying to pass it as fact. The rest of us aren’t that stupid.
“there isn’t a traditional bottom 6 forward in the cupboard. I don’t know how many times you need to be told that to understand it.”
For starters, there are traditional bottom 6 forwards in the cupboard, we just drafted one in the first round in Rakell. Maroon and Cramarossa also come to mind… Again, and I don’t know how many times you have to be told this to understand, our 3rd line doesn’t have to be a ‘traditional’ 3rd line. I don’t know why you insist that it has to be.
I don’t know what i’m talking about, but someone needs to check your arrogance from time to time, it reeks up the joint.
Oh, so you think after a couple of rounds you can talk to me about an argument. I will contend that I’ve supported that argument with a bevy of posts. I don’t feel the need to rejustify myself just because you want everyone to agree with you.
Maroon is the only player you named who has a chance at making the team. Rakell and Cramarossa are going back to junior. Let me redefine: The Ducks don’t have anyone in the cupboard who can fill a traditional bottom 6 role right now. Maroon is a new edition, and I didn’t consider him. Congratulations, of course, I also started by saying we needed a fourth line center and then you generalized that into ALL forwards for the third line, because it best served your point. I really don’t understand how you went from fourth line center to shutdown third line, but I indulged you just the same. If we go back to my original statement, that we don’t have a fourth line center, I imagine you’ll have trouble finding one who’s ready for NHL action this year.
If you don’t know what you’re talking about, you can’t check my arrogance. You know, because you don’t know what you’re talking about.
I will continue to check you’re arrogance, so be prepared for that.
I love how you open the post, btw, “If you missed the explanation of mine and Jen’s approach to looking at camp yesterday, go back to the front page and see what read it, and then reread her post by way of an apology.”
Haha, are we bothering you? You report for the blog, and we appreciate the service, but don’t act like we’re all idiots there chief. You could’ve used those lines to re-explain the approach you guys were taking, but nope, you elected to go with the ‘you all are idiots’ open.
Mark Bell is a veteran free agent. I don’t think he’d fall under the category of “in the cupboard”. In the cupboard always refers to prospects. I’ve never known someone to use it to describe a guy who’s in his 30s and was once a 25 goal scorer.
I love how you retreat to criticizing me as a writer instead of my arguments.I’ll take another approach, though. You read my writing with an arrogant lens. Another person might read that and think that I was admonishing someone for not reading the writing of my fellow contributor, which was my intent. That’s why I used a word like apology. The only thing you would have to be sorry for, would be not reading her post in the first place. I thought it was clever, myself, like when Dumbledore put that spell on the mirror to hide the Sorcerer’s stone
I like the name Chief. Can you call me that all the time? I prefer that you capitalize it.
I don’t treat everyone around here like an idiot. You just disagree with me so vehemently, you refuse to see my comments in any other light.
I’m saying we have our 4th line center in Mark Bell. The ‘cuphoard’ argument was regarding traditional bottom 6 forwards. 2 Different arguments… Both of witch I won, btw!
Probably not the best way to start off a post, just saying… Chief
Mark Bell doesn’t count as “in the cupboard”. He’s a veteran. So I don’t know how you won that. More importantly, having one bottom 6 guy in the cupboard is hardly a win, and the fact that Maroon hasn’t been determined as a prospect or an NHL player at this point, makes him a marginal "in the cupboard. If you’re happy that the condition of our defensive and body banging forwards is in that disrepair, more power to you.
When you brag, spelling things correctly helps.
If you don’t like the way I start posts, audition to be a writer. Until then, you’re the only one pouting about it :)
mmm thats interesting. and we seem to have a surplus of fringe top 9 players, perhaps a move could be made. Although if Bell works out then maybe we can let it slide. or hey just roll 4 scoring lines and try to win that way….if nothing else it should be entertaining to watch.
by BennyLightning on Sep 20, 2011 4:53 PM PDT up reply actions
I definitely agree that we have that surplus of fringe players. Rolling 4 scoring lines sounds cool, but I think it’s always good to have a solid defensive center patrolling the bottom line. You’d think there’d be a trade somewhere for those types of players.
by Daniel AC on Sep 20, 2011 6:02 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
I think most GMs are going to wait at this point to see how their camps are do, then they’ll start exploring trades. I feel like Blake knows his job is in jeopardy which is why he seems to be trying so hard during practices. At least that is the vibe I got from the recaps.
your most likely right, but it gives us something to talk about.
Also, will i get lynched if i say that i actually like blake and his play? i dont care for his contract, but i do like how he goes about his business.
by BennyLightning on Sep 21, 2011 5:43 AM PDT up reply actions
I think in the salary cap era, it’s hard to separate a guy from his deal. Blake definitely plays hard every shift and isn’t afraid of the corners. Two very likeable traits. But he just doesn’t produce to the level of his money. Right now, I think the best thing about Blake is that he isn’t completely dead weight on the second line. If he can have a contract year on the second line, it would be a great help to the Ducks and make up for his below average season last year.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Anaheim Calling
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recent FanPosts
SBNation.com Recent Stories
CK Photo Galleries
