WHL hockey night: Blades vs Tigers

I've got nothing to do tonight, so I've decided to sit back and watch some Dub hockey. Tonight's game is important for Oilers fans as it pits two of our top prospects against each other in Saskatoon's Curtis Hamilton and Medicine Hat's Tyler Bunz.

I'm going to try a bit of live-blogging, with updates at the end of each period. We'll see what comes of it.

First Period:

17:40 Hamilton good entry, two smart passes for two SC.

16:00 Bunz holds post, strong pass around boards.

15:30 Hamilton block in defensive zone leads to two-on-one SC

11:35 Bunz is a god. Great positioning allows him to make approximately 4 saves in 2.3 seconds

6:55 Hamilton late on the backcheck, leads to GA

5:35 Bunz quick reaction save on a smart Saskatoon tip. Reflexes appear to be a strength

4:20 Bunz with smart clear of the puck to center ice

Second Period:

18:20 Game’s first penalty goes to the Tigers. Time to see what Bunz’s got.

18:10 Bunz flashing the glove hand

17:25 Bunz’s angles are solid on the PK here, directs the rebound calmly into the corner

11:00 Bunz barely avoids an own-goal. Stupid play by the Tigers defender

10:30 Curtis Hamilton drives wide. Shot blocked, Hamilton blown up by Hat defender. Hamilton calmly gets back up and continues offensive pressure for another 30 seconds.

9:25 Bunz beaten by a hell of a wrister blocker-high. Hard to fault Bunz on that one.

7:36 The Blades’ ball begins to roll and you can just tell the pace of the game has turned. Bunz beaten again and like before it’s no fault of his. Down and out on a second rebound opportunity. Someone’s gotta clear that puck.

7:13 Okay, Bunz should have had that one. Hamilton scores on what can be described as an average shot. Announcers are saying it was tipped but it didn’t look like it to me. Hamilton’s 19th of the campaign

5:05 Bunz, trying to stop the bleeding by himself, stands tall on yet another Blades PP.

Intermission interview with Curtis Hamilton. I missed the first part so there may have been a bit on the Oilers that I didn’t catch. From what I did:
- Chemistry developing with Schenn
- This year’s club similar to last year if a little younger, hard-working successful team
- WJC awesome experience

Third Period:

17:55 Hamilton out as one of Saskatoon’s primary PKers. Breaks up a pass and charges down the ice to create a great chance on a two-on-one

17:40 Only to be the last man back into the play for a MH powerplay goal. One step forward, two back.

16:25 Bunz with another 5-bell save, this time off Marek Viedensky wide open in the slot. He’s a crafty player, too bad he’s a Sharks draft pick

13:17 If Hamilton gets an assist on the fourth Blades goal, then I’ll start to question his ability to produce offense at the professional level.

13:10 He did.

11:30 Hamilton with another nice stick on the PK to create an odd-man rush with Schenn. He’s very dangerous with his ability to create turnovers at the point

2:35 Tigers score to put the game at 4-3 while on a two-man advantage. Interesting that draft-eligible Duncan Siemens is one of the Blades PKers in that situation.

1:15 2010 first rounder Emerson Etem gets the tying goal. Tyler Bunz should get the secondary assist with a great clearing pass to Linden Vey. Shorthanded to boot.

0:05 Bunz with the money save to maintain at least a single point. Got some help from his defenseman, who was able to sky the loose puck before it fell into the net.

Overtime:

1:04 Terrible way for Bunz to lose this game. Complete clusterfuck between goalie and defenseman leads to the Hamilton/Schenn tandem pouncing. Hamilton with the initial chance, Schenn with the slam-dunk.

---------------

I really wish I had the chance to see more junior hockey. That was a more entertaining game than half of the ones I've watched the Oilers slog through this year. Thinking on the Oilers prospects in this game, I found Curtis Hamilton to be around the puck all night long. A goal and two assists for the 2010 second rounder who has all the makings of a future NHLer. Tyler Bunz had an up and down kind of game. He was completely unflappable for the first half of the game, only to let in three goals in rather quick succession before getting back on his horse. I like his puck skills and his ability to be square to the shooter, but he'll need to see a lot more rubber before he's a finished product.

The announcers commented before the game started that Tyler Pitlick will be missing his third straight game, possibly due to injury. If the Tigers play this well without him in the line-up, they're surely to go far in the playoffs with a healthy #7 on the bench.

Prospect Statistics: January

This month sees the majority of our prospects keeping with the status quo, which means we might have finally reached an established level of productivity to measure our final months against. The prospects who have a shot at the next level should begin to elevate their game for the stretch run to the playoffs, while the also-rans will begin to taper out.

Cameron Abney RW Edmonton/WHL

JAN 12GP 1-5-6 +3 46PIM 8ZPG
YTD 38GP 4-6-10 E 72PIM

Abney saw a resurgence in his game during the early part of January, both in terms of offensive production and overall nastiness. Edmonton was an improved team over this stretch and the offensive production was well spread out. However he ended the month not playing in Edmonton’s last game of January for reasons currently not known to me. He was 0-fer in his previous three games, so either he’s trying to shake a nagging injury or the coach found a better option again.

Phil Cornet RW Oklahoma/AHL

JAN 13GP 4-4-8 +7 0PIM 28SH 8ZPG
YTD 36GP 4-8-12 +4 4PIM 52SH

This month’s breakout player caught lightning in a bottle when placed on a line with fellow prospects Milan Kytnar and Teemu Hartikainen. Cornet stepped it up in the absence of Liam Reddox and Linus Omark in a big way. I’ve been harping on the first year pro to force the coaches hands more often and with a month like this you know he’s going to get added responsibility heading towards the playoffs.

Drew Czerwonka LW Kootenay/WHL

JAN 12GP 2-8-10 +3 33PIM 5 ZPG
YTD 46GP 12-21-33 +9 72PIM

Another solid month for a guy thought of as an afterthought on draft day. I didn’t think this pace was sustainable but the kid’s got it going on. He’s doing most of his damage at even strength (1-7-8) which is a good sign that the offense is translatable to a higher level, but the fact he’s playing on a dominant team might play against him. We wait for him to come back down to Earth, but he’s enjoying the view.

Robby Dee C Maine/NCAA

JAN 7GP 1-4-5 -3 10PIM 16SH 2 ZPG
YTD 26GP 9-15-24 +3 20PIM 63SH

The senior Dee continues along at his established pace. He’s not killing it, but neither is he losing his focus. I haven’t been able to consistently find his faceoff numbers from game-to-game, but expect they’re still hovering around his established 60%. He’s one of the main offensive producers on his team, alongside the Hobey Baker candidate (and Detroit pick) Gustav Nyquist, but needs to pick up the pace to earn a contract. He’s no spring chicken.

Jordan Eberle RW Edmonton/NHL

JAN 1GP 0-0-0 E 4:51EV
YTD 37GP 9-14-23 -4 4PIM 76SH 673:39TOI 539.34EV 89.63PP 45:13SH

Eberle was injured for basically the entire month of January. It’s going to affect his development, the only question is going to be; how badly? We wait.

Taylor Hall LW Edmonton/NHL

JAN 13GP 4-5-9 -3 6PIM 39SH 249:14TOI 207:20EV 41:54PP 7ZPg
YTD 49GP 16-15-31 -10 14PIM 139SH 899:54TOI 667:51EV 130:31PP 1:32SH

Taylor Hall’s progression has reached the level where he’s one of the Oilers’ main offensive catalysts. He’s firmly established his presence in the Top-6 but isn’t exactly handling the league’s best yet. He’s got room to grow but has ages to do it in. A wonderful player.

Curtis Hamilton LW Saskatoon/WHL

JAN 9GP 1-10-11 +5 4PIM
YTD 40GP 16-37-53 +32 10PIM

Hamilton spent the first portion of the month playing for Canada and as he’s proven in Saskatoon he is a versatile player. Beginning as a PK specialist and 4th liner, Hamilton ended up entrenched within the Top-6 and was contributing offensively. Upon his return to Saskatoon he was able to pick up where he left off, but his performance is troubling to me. Going back his last 16 games, he has only a single goal for his efforts (16 assists). Is this a sign that he’s becoming less comfortable shooting, or that he’s become a playmaker instead of a scorer? Regardless of that, expect the Blades to be the team to beat in the WHL this year, as the acquisition of Brayden Schenn adds another bullet to the chamber. Let’s hope his reputation as a high-end WHL playmaker allows Hamilton more opportunities to score.

Teemu Hartikainen RW Oklahoma/AHL

JAN 15GP 4-10-14 +8 4PIM 30SH 6ZPG
YTD 49GP 14-18-32 -1 29PIM 90SH

Hartikainen’s getting a lot of love around the Oilogosphere of late and while it’s nice to see him finally crack AHL pitching, I’d like to temper some of those feelings a touch. He’s still not the consistent offensive presence the basic boxcars would suggest. Of his 14 January points, 9 came in 4 games (three 2-point games, one 3-point effort), while impressive, I’d prefer to see a little more regularity. Maybe it’s just me nit-picking on one aspect of his game, but I’d like to see another month like this. A positive note is his improved defensive play. After going -11 over the first two months, he’s countered that nicely with +10 over DEC/JAN. A very strong arrow in the right direction for the big Finn.

Kellen Jones W Quinnipiac/NCAA

JAN 8GP 1-6-7 +6 2PIM 17SH 3 ZPG
YTD 29GP 5-15-20 +2 29PIM 61SH

Jones picked up the pace in January and so did his team. He’s one of his team’s top scorers and is out-scoring his brother at this stage. I’d like to see more shots on net, but with so little to go on in terms of knowledge of NCAA hockey, I’d say he’s progressing.

Milan Kytnar C Oklahoma/AHL

JAN 4-4-8 +9 6PIM 17SH 8ZPG
YTD 48GP 6-10-16 +2 14PIM 44SH

If this is what happens when you give Kytnar average linemates, you have to wonder what he’d do with Alex Giroux. Another player to have immediate results upon the call-ups of Reddox and Omark, Kytnar has showm himself capable of increased responsibility at the AHL level. The depth of the OKC roster is strong though, so when the eventual assignments from Edmonton come, Kytnar will be back with the dregs. This might be the high-point of Kytnar’s debut pro season.

Anton Lander C Timra/SEL

JAN 9GP 1-6-7 -4 6PIM 20SH 169:57TOI 2 ZPG
YTD 38GP 8-13-21 -5 28PIM 74SH 692.10 TOI

Lander returned to the Timra line-up from a disappointing tournament for Sweden (not particularly Lander, but the Swedes as a whole) at the world juniors, and two things happened. For one, he appears to be cheating towards offense and his two-way game is suffering, and two he’s getting increased ice-time including powerplay time (1-3-4 in January). He’s trending well offensively (he’s currently riding a 5 game point streak) and is being used in different roles on the team (he’s being listed as 3rd C, 3rd RW and 1st LW in January). In short, he’s become a versatile player and is working on adding an offensive touch. He’ll be ready to step over to North America next year and won’t be long in the minor-pro levels, if at all.

Ryan Martindale C Ottawa/OHL

JAN 12GP 7-8-15 +4 0PIM 3 ZPG
YTD 45GP 27-36-63 +27 18PIM

Martindale’s still putting up big numbers, but he’s far from the only one on the 67s to be doing that. Along with line-mates Shane Prince and Tyler Toffoli, the 67s have recently had more players step it up offensively. The names Lindsay, Ceci, Nesbitt and Mohanen are gracing the stats sheets as often as Martindale’s is. While it’s nice to have some friendly competition among teammates, Martindale’s history of, well, lazy play might become a factor. If others are producing, does Ryan still have to put forth 100% effort for the team to continue to win? Maybe we’ll find out in February.

Linus Omark W Edmonton/NHL

JAN AHL 2GP 1-4-5 +1 4PIM 5 SH 0 ZPG
YTD AHL 28GP 14-15-29 +7 32PIM 72SH

JAN NHL 12GP 2-2-4 -6 8PIM 29SH 192:07TOI 159:03EV 32:04PP
YTD NHL 20GP 3-6-9 -7 12PIM 36SH 294.29TOI 244.17EV 49.12PP

Omark continues to piss me off by getting sent down and re-called, so I am required to count and present statistics for two leagues, the bastard. Unfortunately, Omark did not has as successful a January as he did a December, possibly stemming from unfamiliarity with his linemates (he was with his AHL buddies for most of December). I would have hoped he could have stepped up in Eberle’s (and Hemsky’s) absences but it wasn’t to be. He’s doing a lot of things right, but most nights you can tell he’s a rookie.

Magnus Paajarvi LW Edmonton/NHL

JAN 12GP 2-3-5 -1 2PIM 28SH 195.04TOI 170.18EV 24.39PP 0.07SH
YTD 47GP 9-13-19 E 12PIM 95SH 695.20TOI 628.11EV 65.25PP 1.41SH

Young Magnus continues to move at a very similar pace. He’s not improving by my eye, nor is he drowning. His minutes have improved in the absence of Eberle, but who knows what’s going to happen when Jordan draws back into the line-up. I hate to say it but the scouting reports saying he’s not much of a scorer are starting to ring true. He continues to impress with his defensive prowess though, which is something you don’t often see in a teenager.

Tyler Pitlick RW Medicine Hat/WHL

JAN 11GP 5-9-14 +1 4PIM 3ZPG
YTD 44GP 20-30-50 +3 27PIM

Pitlick is beginning to put up some impressive offensive numbers, but the manner he’s scoring them is concerning to me. Half his points this month (1-6-7) came via the powerplay, an area I don’t see him getting much opportunity at higher levels. He’s also still not developing any impressive two-way ability, as evidenced by his mediocre +/-. I had expected more from a collegiate athlete in this regard this year, as he’d been playing against men rather effectively last year. He might be a bit more of a long-term prospect than we first believed. Didn’t dress in MH’s last two games of the month, possible injury.

Kristians Pelss RW Edmonton/WHL

JAN 13GP 3-3-6 E 2PIM 8ZPG
YTD 43GP 7-12-19 +8 19PIM

Bet nobody saw this coming from the Latvian when he was drafted, myself included. I believe the line I used over at Lowetide was “Even if he’s the Latvian Wayne Gretzky, why bother?” Well I’ll admit my mistake and submit that this was a very good use of a 7th round pick. Pelss seems to have caught on to the WHL game and has started to flash some offensive chops. He’s become an everyday player and even getting some powerplay time.

Toni Rajala RW Ilves/SM-Liiga

JAN 8GP 1-3-4 +2 0PIM 38SH 109.29 TOI 4ZPG
YTD 30GP 7-9-16 -3 4PIM 143SH

Despite a rather pedestrian World Juniors, Toni Rajala may be turning a corner in Finland. He’s becoming a more consistent offensive performer and appears to be improving his two-way game. Now if only he could be earning more ice-time, we’d be laughing. Fun fact, Jesse Niinimaki is playing almost twice as much per game as Rajala, something’s not right there. Rajala’s challenge now is to take some of those minutes from a failed prospect. I suggest borrowing one of those nice rifles he’s been busy shining and drilling with during his “down time”.

Chris VandeVelde C Oklahoma/AHL

JAN 15GP 2-0-2 -7 8PIM 23SH 13ZPG
YTD 48GP 7-4-11 -14 32PIM 62SH

Ouch. VandeVelde is failing in his prescribed role (shutdown C) in the AHL, and he’s failing spectacularly. One wonders if some time in the ECHL is approaching?

Jordan Bendfeld D Oklahoma AHL

JAN 7GP 0-0-0 -3 12PIM 2SH 7ZPG
YTD 13GP 0-0-0 +1 28PIM 7SH

Bendfeld is still alive and kicking, long after I had written him off for dead. It’s nice to see, but he’s not really bringing anything to the table other than a warm body. Then again, it could be worse. And it does appear to be worse, at least for one prospect, because he’s playing and they’re not.

Jeremie Blain D Acadie-Bathurst/QMJHL

JAN 12 GP 0-11-11 +8 16PIM 5Hits 20SH 5ZPG
YTD 22GP 1-19-20 +13 28PIM 10Hits 31SH

The Titan are a completely different team with Blain in the line-up. On most nights if they’re scoring at even-strength it’s usually involving Blain in some form or another, putting up 9 of his 11 assists 5-on-5. I think it’s safe to say now that his injury problem has passed and we’re free to enjoy night after night of offensive prowess from Blain.

Kyle Bigos D Merrimack/NCAA

JAN 4GP 0-0-0 -1 23PIM 6SH 4ZPG
YTD 19GP 0-4-4 +1 65PIM 36SH

I think Bigos is injured, as nothing else explains his 4-game absence at the end of January. Granted he’s not doing well of late, but I’d expect Merrimack would rather have their policeman in the line-up than eating popcorn if they had their druthers.

Taylor Chorney D Oklahoma/AHL

JAN AHL 8GP 1-3-4 -4 2PIM 13SH 4ZPG
YTD AHL 42GP 3-13-16 +1 18PIM 64SH

JAN NHL 6GP 0-2-2 -3 2PIM 5SH 4ZPG

A January that saw Chorney recalled to the big club was a nice reward for a prospect who was in dire straits last year. It should be viewed as a testament to just how far he’s come since last year, when he couldn’t even play defence at the AHL level. He may have not had as productive a cup of coffee as the other young blueliner, but it’s a step forward. He’s still scoring basically all his points on the powerplay, but I didn’t expect him to be an outscorer.

Brandon Davidson D Regina/WHL

JAN 13GP 2-4-6 +4 24PIM
YTD 50GP 7-29-35 E 56PIM

I’m a fan of Brandon Davidson and am cheering like hell for him. The nice thing about Davidson is he’s backing my fandom up with solid play. He’s putting up a nice point total and he’s turning his +/- around. He’s also playing on a bad team (has there even been a “good” Regina team?”, so his stats are all that more impressive to me.

Troy Hesketh

He’s in very big trouble as a hockey player. For one, there are reports he refused to report to his new club after being traded from Chicago of the USHL. Those reports have been denied, but speaks to the character of someone described as very “prima donna”, and “selfish”. Secondly, he’s suffered a concussion which has prevented him from playing since early December. Lastly, he’s lost his scholarship to the University of Wisconsin, due to academic ineligibility. Things are not looking well for the Minnetonka native at all. I’ll have more on the situation as it presents itself, but I think Guy Flaming will scoop me at his wonderful blog.

Martin Marincin D Prince George/WHL

JAN 12GP 2-7-9 -9 4PIM 5ZPG
YTD 45GP 12-32-44 -3 41PIM

Should we start worrying about Marincin? He’s getting killed defensively, but still putting up points. Personally, I place a little more emphasis on the defensive side of hockey for blueliners, so I am concerned that Marincin’s development is hitting a wall. If a defenseman can’t play defence, there’s not much positive to say about him.

Johan Motin D Oklahoma/AHL

JAN 5GP 0-0-0 +1 2PIM 3SH 5ZPG
YTD 34GP 1-3-4 -8 25PIM 29SH

Oklahoma played 15 games this past month. If you only draw into the line-up once every three games you know you’re in trouble as a prospect. To add insult to injury, Motin lost his spot to the aforementioned Jordan Bendfeld. Not good. He might be back in Sweden next year.

Jeff Petry D Edmonton/NHL

JAN 12GP 1-1-2 +2 2PIM 18SH 259.07TOI 206.01EV 37.17PP 15.49SH 10ZPG
YTD 14GP 1-2-3 E 2PIM 22SH 298.27TOI 239.54EV 41.19PP 17.14SH

Jeff Petry has arrived at the NHL level and I don’t think he’s ever going to look back. He’s playing big minutes, PP minutes, SH minutes, veteran minutes. Edmonton desperately needs a guy like Petry to be that all-around minute muncher, especially having lost Ryan Whitney possibly for the season. His point totals are low considering his history of being a point producer, but that’s really splitting hairs.

Alex Plante D Oklahoma/AHL

JAN 14GP 0-4-4 +3 28PIM 12SH 10ZPG
YTD 46GP 1-9-10 +7 94PIM 42SH

Plante had a solid month by anyone’s standards, but it’s even more impressive given the lack of Jeff Petry on the Barons’ blueline. He continues to show good defensive ability, and his combination of size and toughness should earn him a second cup of coffee in Edmonton in as many years.

Tyler Bunz G Medicine Hat/WHL

JAN 10GP 90.3 SV% 2.86GAA 7W 3L
YTD 36GP 91.2 SV% 2.58GAA

Bunz has replaced Olivier Roy as the Oilers top goaltender prospect in my eyes, but it’s more because of Roy’s shortcomings than Bunz doing anything special. Bunz has been okay throughout January, but nothing spectacular. He’s winning, which is good, but his stats were off his season averages. That may be the result of an extraordinary December though. Goalies are witchcraft.

Bryan Pitton G Oklahoma/AHL

JAN 1GP 96.8 SV% 1.01GAA 1W
YTD 3GP 91.5 SV% 2.68GAA

He played, but that was because Gerber needed a night off and Jeff Deslauriers was playing in Europe for Canada’s Spengler Cup entry. Nothing to write home about here.

Olivier Roy G Acadie-Bathurst/QMJHL

JAN 9GP 89.7 SV% 3.21GAA 7W 2L
YTD 30GP 90.2 SV% 3.03GAA

Olivier Roy’s getting a lot of underserved accolades from the Oilogosphere, but I’m not buying what they’re selling. I see a goalie being picked up by a strong offensive team, not having to single-handedly win a game for the team. His stats have been declining steadily as the season progresses, not to mention losing his role as starter for Team Canada. I really don’t think there’s much here.