The final 10 pages or so were devoted to the OHA, WHL and QMJHL. Sometimes you'd get an MJHL update or something on an OHA Senior League player.
About this time of year you'd get this from all of the WHL and OHA cities. The item below is from the January 7, 1972 Hockey News (page 30):
- Edmonton: Being pushed for 2nd place after losing two of three games on the west coast, Oil Kings opened up a 5-point lead on Medicine Hat Tigers with a 5-1 win in Edmonton.....The dazzling play of last year defenseman Phil Russell has the pro scouts gathering in hordes. Russell may well be the best skating rearguard ever to come out of the west.
That's the era I grew up in. In July, the Hockey News would print all of the drafted players and I knew the first rounders would be good (except Oakland, they didn't have one. Pittsburgh too) and that the Seals would play at least three of their kids no matter how good they were (Oakland needed players).
--
Tonight we see the best of the CHL. There's a very real chance one of these young men will don an Oiler uniform this summer during the first round of the entry draft. My bet is Couturier. The 1972 article would have said something like "disgruntled with his showing at the WJ's, man among boys Sean Couturier aimed to set things right with a tremendous run in the QMJHL. His next hurdle will be to show those scouts what's what at the Top prospects game."
I guess some things don't change.
--
The Memorial Cup, The CHL top prospects game and most of the Canadian NHL games are the only items Sportsnet has in their hockey arsenal at this point in time. Rogers must pay far less money, because the talent pool heavily favors tsn and whenever there's a raid it's SN talent headed to tsn not the other way around.
I'm okay with, don't care really. But I do wish Sportsnet at least tried to make their between period experts and their play by play men world class. The fact is that many of the American pbp guys are better than the current bunch who man the mics for RSN and that's a crying shame. No disrespect, these men worked hard to get where they are today and credit where due they made it. I do wish Rogers would at least respond to the challenge, though. Maybe upgrade here and there.
--
Team Cherry is here.
Team Orr is here.
--
I hope you'll comment on tonight's game. It's way more fun that reading the 1972 Hockey News. :-)
I like the first highlight they show is Phaenuf leaving his feet to kill Pouliot.
ReplyDeleteHa ha Sportsnet couldn't get the right name below the player so they just gave up.
ReplyDeleteI missed it, where's Orr?
ReplyDeleteHe didn't come so Clark and Killer took his spot.
ReplyDeleteCouturier has some jump so far, RNH has had the puck once from what I've seen. That McNeil kid from PA is quite physical and the Montrea junior Dman has made some nice quite plays.
ReplyDeleteGood to see the center of the hockey universe pack the house to see prospect they will never have because they trade their picks.
ReplyDeleteHad no idea this had started already. That Catanacci kid can fly.
ReplyDeleteLT you're right that they may be focussing on Couturier, but I think we have to take a serious look at RNH. He's getting a lot of love from Team TSN and SMB. I've heard no coverage of the Oilers prospecters talking about either Larsson or Landeskog, and I think they might be following last year's drafting trends (unless you're Canadian, we don't want you in the first 6 rounds). And I think that's a damn shame.
Red's goalie has a little Turco in him. Haven't seen a top-notch puck-moving goalie drafted in a while.
ReplyDeleteHoly shit. this @chlreporter should be in an open tab LT. Lots of reading there tonight.
ReplyDeleteDon't know if you consider Bunz a top netminder but that kid is really good with the puck.
ReplyDeleteLT,
ReplyDeleteYou're bang on about the quality of some of the US broadcasts...way better than most of the Canadian stuff. Living overseas means a lot of US feeds...I am always sad when I get the Sportsnet one!
It is also very interesting to hear the other team's commentator's take on the Oil. Often, it is much different than the Edmonton media or message board chatter.
I've been watching a lot of streams lately. After I realized I use TV for nothing but hockey, it made little sense to have a cable subscription with 300 different channels when I needed 3 (TSN, CBC, SN.)
ReplyDeleteSo most of these streams are from the US, since no Edmonton fan is willing or capable of hosting a stream. The commentary there is actually quite good, when you realize they're aimed at a more casual audience. Certainly many of the broadcasters (San Jose being a notable exception) are more unbiased in their assessment of teams and penalties than here in Canada.
LT: Damn the pick in the top-50, I'd go for broke and pick up another pick in the top-10. Either Hemsky or next year's first rounder might be enough to entice someone to part with it. The first rounder in 2012 would also put the emphasis on speeding up the re-build so that we're actually competitive next year. Pick up a Couturier/RNH with our pick and a defenseman (this Murray kid is outstanding, Ryan Ellis-like) with the second pick and we're laughing.
ReplyDeleteAny links?
ReplyDeleteWorking late here, need some background hockey.
I like the idea of Hemsky for a high pick...I feel like a long term contract based on his skill is fine. But, his injury history leaves me thinking this would be an awful move. For that reason alone, I'd be in favor of Penner over Hemsky if it came down to one or the other.
ReplyDeleteThere's my guy. Taylor Hall would love that pass.
ReplyDeleteI like Musil's shot from the point on Huberdeau's goal. It's low, it's not designed to go in but to create a rebound opportunity. Smart play.
ReplyDeleteWhatever else happens tonight, that was a cherry pass.
ReplyDeletePrince has a real quick release. He's likely been scouted pretty heavily, being a linemate of Ryan Martindale.
ReplyDeleteLT: Great passing ability, and did you see him hounding the puck carrier in the neutral zone?
ReplyDeleteHe's got more two-way game that he's being given credit for.
Ryan Murphy sure does have some Paul Coffey puck rush in him. Treat to watch.
ReplyDeleteI know we aren't looking at more smurfs, but that Murphy kid is fun to watch flying around.
ReplyDeleteRNH adds "drawn penalty" to his checklist.
ReplyDeleteMusil just went up about five or six spots on my draft board from yesterday.
ReplyDeleteSiemens sort of alluding that he would be looking for a fight in this game and he found one.
ReplyDeleteRNH just showed more jam standing up for his teammate there than several Oilers of recent vintage, even if he didn't try to fight.
ReplyDeleteHuberdeau, RNH, Strome, Hamilton and Murphy are the five guys I noticed the most.
ReplyDeleteHow is Prince who has 70 + points ranks so far back?
So, any chance the Oilers use their cap space to snag an extra bullet or two for Stu to use in the draft?
ReplyDeleteSome up against the cap team needing some space to wheel and deal jettisons their dead weight player/contract + pick in exchange for some cheap, short term depth?
The Oilers would essentially be trading $ for picks, and their dance partner gets a chance to participate in the trade deadline merry-go-round.
I didn't invent this concept, and I am too lazy to really research which teams would be a good match.
jjweins:
ReplyDeleteHe's 5'10. Call it Jordan Weal syndrome.
Couturier using his body to his advantage freezing the puck along the boards. I haven't been impressed by him at all this game. He just lacks any burst speed. He reminds me of a Rob Zamuner kind of player.
ReplyDeleteHere comes the rout.
Phillips sure looks like Gagner.
ReplyDeleteTo be fair to Couturier, this kind of All-Star format diminishes his normal size advantage. In a tighter checking contest he would like show better.
ReplyDeletePrince has the same height and weight as Skinner last year. I bet if he kepps it up he goes in the first round.
ReplyDeletehoil:
ReplyDeleteYou mean like he did at the WJC's?
That's been the thing. I've seen him on two showcase situations now and he's underwhelmed in both.
Bell is looking foolish in this game.
ReplyDeletethese refs are trying to ref this game like a allstar game.
ReplyDeleteMurphy and RNH should be the players of the game IMO.
ReplyDeleteLT - I bet those few pages of coverage was like gold.
ReplyDeleteNow you see comments and articles all of the time and probably never get near as excited as you did in the 70's.
The same thing has happened with nipples and the rise of the internet.
The same thing has happened with nipples and the rise of the internet.
ReplyDeleteGood sweet Christ, yes. I sometimes long for the old days.
(Of course, the advent of the internet corresponded pretty closely with my exiting adolescence, which conflates things somewhat.)
doritogrande: I was trying to throw the Couturier fans a bone. I confess that he does nothing for me when I see him play.
ReplyDeleteLots of nice plays made tonight, but I have to say that RNH stands out at this level of competition.
bookie & Steve: 70's adolescent porn equivalent - lingerie section of the Eatons or Sears catalog.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteBut I do wish Sportsnet at least tried to make their between period experts and their play by play men world class
ReplyDeleteWhat, you mean Darren Dreger doesn't go on a tear some nights and destroy taxis or brawl on the street with people?
I wanted to see some Nugent-Hopkins and the kid delivered. A lot of skill there. Murphy was also quite good.
Tough decision ahead.
TSN...
ReplyDeleteShawn Horcoff skated on the top line at practice and will play Thursday night. He passed the "Renney" on-ice test (coach Tom Renney does this with every injured player before he allows them back into the lineup) and will be wearing a brace on the inujured knee. Gilbert Brule also took Renneys test and didn't pass, so he won't be back.
I hope Horcoffs knee brace is just precautionary. Oy.
I know it's a small sample size and all but you have to think that RNH at least secured himself a longer look and consideration for the top spot tonight.
ReplyDeleteI've been leaning toward Larsson. I'm unsure about Landeskog. Couturier hasn't done much lately to convince me of being worthy of #1 overall.
I'll admit to being very worried about taking the wrong player last draft and I had concerns about Seguin. He is obviously very young and will likely have a very good career but there seemed to be a little bit of risk there.
At this point I feel Couturier would be a very risky pick. I also feel RNH would be as well although I feel better about him after tonight.....(I know)...;p.
In fact you could argue that each one of the top 4 have some big question marks. I'm not envious of being in MBS' position this year.
I saw Mark Scheifele good. A 6'3" center. Maybe a second round target.
ReplyDeleteI didn't see it mentioned anywhere but I'm just remembering this now...Bob McKenzie tweeted this back on the 12th:
ReplyDeleteToo soon to say for sure who will be No. 1 but I do know which of Landeskog, Larsson, Couturier and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins it WON'T be.
Now his latest list has Larsson number one and Couturier at number four. I'm guessing that he would assume the Oilers would finish last or second last at this point (maybe that's assuming too much?).
So would that mean the Oilers likely won't pick Couturier? Bob is the most plugged in man in hockey so I have to wonder.
//At this point I feel Couturier would be a very risky pick.//
ReplyDeleteOn the contrary, Couturier probably is the safest pick, because his worst case downside is a 3rd line checking centre, whereas RNH's worst case downside is Rob Schremp.
If one already has Taylor Hall as the franchise, Hemsky as a very good playmaker, and Sam Gagner duplicating some of the skills of RNH, and one doesn't have size down the middle, nor a solid bottom six, does one want less downside risk or more upside potential?
Couturier, Landeskog, and Larsson all fill more obvious needs. Another small skilled passer at forward not so much.
There are a lot of big centres in the league where one needs a matchup guy. Kopitar, Getzlaf, Carter, Staal, .
Still, the option is there to draft RNH and trade Gagner, but then one is making the gap from Hall and RNH to Hemsky/Penner/Horcoff/Gilbert/Whitney pretty huge.
7 of the 10 players in McKenzie's top ten were playing in this game, and other than Saad, they clearly stood out as the best prospects in the game. And of the rest, Beaulieu in particular I thought had a strong game. While, you might not get full value at 1st or 2nd overall, from 3 to 8 or so this looks like a quality draft. And later on in the first round there's a nice selection of big forwards with some skill available.
ReplyDelete@ Godot:
ReplyDeleteHemsky is starting to look injury prone, plus the reality that he might as well already be on the trading block. Unless he's committed to remaining an Oiler, he's gone within the next 18 months.
Gagner for his part appears to be spinning his wheels for the past 3 seasons, is smallish, and may never realise his potential(unless he already has).
Now I don't know RNH from an apple in a Tennessee orchard, but do remember the last time that Irish clown Lowe passed on a similarly smallish player - passing up on top 10 NHL forward Parise - and Oilers ended up with Pouliot and JF Jacques.
You draft the BPA, in short.
Lowe is Irish?
ReplyDeleteThat's about all I took out of that post.
Ribs,
ReplyDeletePretty sure McKenzie was only referring to who is first on his list.
Way to early to speculate on who gets drafted where, need final NHL standings first.
There's speculation afoot that Hemsky could end up being the last player drafted for the All Star Teams.
ReplyDeleteI would think a slight like that (however minor it may seem) could be a motivating factor for the player in question over the remainder of the season. Might not be a bad thing for the Oil if it happens though it certainly wouldn't speak well to his trade value.
That's if he evens plays in the game with the current concussion issue looming.
ReplyDeleteWoodguy,
ReplyDeletePretty sure McKenzie was only referring to who is first on his list.
Yea, but from the description he gives of his system it sounds like it's who he thinks will go where...
In other words, the rankings below are not where I would necessarily choose a player so much as they are an indicator of where I believe that prospect is most likely to be selected in the draft.
Way to early to speculate on who gets drafted where, need final NHL standings first.
ReplyDeletePossibly...But I think we have a pretty good idea right now of who the bottom three teams will be. His list is based on polls of scouts so you'd think if even one of the bottom three had Couturier at the top of their list that he'd be up higher than fourth in the rankings.
godot....
ReplyDeleteSchremp is actually playing fairly well this year.
From the small viewing I've seen of Couturier he doesn't seem to have the speed necessary at the NHL level yet. That could change and if it does there's no doubt he'll be a heck of a player.
I've seen even less of RNH but he seems to have better speed and his offensive instinct looks to be very good despite his numbers.
I don't know that you can compare Gagner and RNH. Gagner exhibited agility and escapabilty along with sublime hands in junior. He didn't have NHL foot speed or size when he broke into the league.
RNH on the other hand seems to have the speed to go with the hands. He is slight but he looks about 12 years old so I'm going to assume that he'll grow thicker and maybe a little taller.
Like I said in the previous post. Both players look to have some question marks but RNH's showing last night has caught my attention and probably a few others as well.
Well if RNH is available and they go with him then he's a good candidate to be sent down to Junior for another year with a workout program and development money to fill out his 6 foot frame.
ReplyDelete