Post by Arnold Slick on Aug 11, 2015 23:33:25 GMT -4
Might as well start a new thread for training camp. The action begins tomorrow and here are my players to watch:
Goaltenders
Zach Fortin - Solid numbers in Alberta last year, but not exactly a succesful Q career prior to that. In fairness his numbers weren't atrocious by any means until he got to CB, which isn't exactly a goaltending hotbed these days. How much has he improved and is he really good enough to be the 20 YO starter?
Dillan Kelly - Also good numbers last year albeit playing in what seems to be a Junior B league in Alberta.
Dupre/Talbot-Tassi - Are either of these guys good enough to claim a roster spot? Neither played Midget AAA in Quebec last season.
Matthew Waite - His dad was a pretty darn good goalie in junior and appeared for Canada at the World Juniors twice so there's some good bloodlines here. Curious to see what he brings to the table.
Defencemen
Max Glassl - Can he live up to the hype of being the first German defenceman in Moncton since Frank Appel?
Shayne Dominie - This might be a bit of a reach as a player to watch, but I thought he was solid in camp last year. Big drawback is that he spent his 17 YO season playing Midget back in Newfoundland. That couldn't have been good for development.
Marcus Tesink - Very good camp last year, but looked out of his depth in appearances with the Cats and Commandos. That's not a knock on him as most 16 year old defencemen don't excel at those levels. There's certainly at least a couple spots available on D and one of them is his to lose.
Brendan Bornstein - Don't know anything about him, but the Cats seem pretty high on him. Like I just said there's certainly roster spots available.
Lavoie/Aspirot/Gignac - The Cats are pretty thin in terms of prospects on defence so you certainly have to hope that these guys can make an impression. That's particularly the case for Lavoie and Aspirot who were third and fourth rounders respectively. I don't expect any of them to make the team so this will be more of a case of getting a glimpse at the future.
Forwards
Manuel Wiederer - Will he be good enough to be a capable top six forward? Cats seem to think so, but this will be the first look at him for most of us.
Kelly Klima/Kevin Klima - The Cats have extremely high hopes for this duo. Considering the numbers they put up in the OHL and NAHL last season and the less than rave reviews from London fans, the "hype" has been met with lots of skepticism.
Liam Murphy - Of all the returning forwards I'm most curious to see his progress. Already being talked about for the NHL Draft so it's a big year for Murphy and the Cats have to be crossing their fingers that he pushes himself into a top six forward role.
Noah Corson - "Some" on here have already called him a bust, but this is the real test for Corson. There's certainly no guarantee of a roster spot so he's going to have to put in a strong showing. Worth remembering that the Cats traded up to get him last year.
Dylan Wheatley - Very curious about this guy. 10 goals in just 18 games in Midget last season with Charlottetown. Injury problems? First round pick in the MHL Draft.
Mika Cyr - Always lots of intrigue surrounding the team's top draft pick from this past spring. Can't always go by stats, but he had more goals than first rounder Peyton Hoyt last season. Certainly offensively skilled but enough to crack the roster at 16?
Ethan Crossman - The Cats one and only prized NCAA recruit from this draft. Obviously a lock for the team, but how good is he exactly?
Ethan DeStefani - The only other potential NCAA prize recruit from the 2015 draft for the Cats. Does he stay past 48 hours? Is he good enough to make the team anyway?
Jeremy McKenna - This guy intrigues me based on his stats. 15 points in 5 games at the Gatorade Challenge that the Q does prior to the draft. Probably spends this season with Summerside, but if you have him and Crossman on the team next season you would have to think that intrigues Adam Dawe.
Goaltenders
Zach Fortin - Solid numbers in Alberta last year, but not exactly a succesful Q career prior to that. In fairness his numbers weren't atrocious by any means until he got to CB, which isn't exactly a goaltending hotbed these days. How much has he improved and is he really good enough to be the 20 YO starter?
Dillan Kelly - Also good numbers last year albeit playing in what seems to be a Junior B league in Alberta.
Dupre/Talbot-Tassi - Are either of these guys good enough to claim a roster spot? Neither played Midget AAA in Quebec last season.
Matthew Waite - His dad was a pretty darn good goalie in junior and appeared for Canada at the World Juniors twice so there's some good bloodlines here. Curious to see what he brings to the table.
Defencemen
Max Glassl - Can he live up to the hype of being the first German defenceman in Moncton since Frank Appel?
Shayne Dominie - This might be a bit of a reach as a player to watch, but I thought he was solid in camp last year. Big drawback is that he spent his 17 YO season playing Midget back in Newfoundland. That couldn't have been good for development.
Marcus Tesink - Very good camp last year, but looked out of his depth in appearances with the Cats and Commandos. That's not a knock on him as most 16 year old defencemen don't excel at those levels. There's certainly at least a couple spots available on D and one of them is his to lose.
Brendan Bornstein - Don't know anything about him, but the Cats seem pretty high on him. Like I just said there's certainly roster spots available.
Lavoie/Aspirot/Gignac - The Cats are pretty thin in terms of prospects on defence so you certainly have to hope that these guys can make an impression. That's particularly the case for Lavoie and Aspirot who were third and fourth rounders respectively. I don't expect any of them to make the team so this will be more of a case of getting a glimpse at the future.
Forwards
Manuel Wiederer - Will he be good enough to be a capable top six forward? Cats seem to think so, but this will be the first look at him for most of us.
Kelly Klima/Kevin Klima - The Cats have extremely high hopes for this duo. Considering the numbers they put up in the OHL and NAHL last season and the less than rave reviews from London fans, the "hype" has been met with lots of skepticism.
Liam Murphy - Of all the returning forwards I'm most curious to see his progress. Already being talked about for the NHL Draft so it's a big year for Murphy and the Cats have to be crossing their fingers that he pushes himself into a top six forward role.
Noah Corson - "Some" on here have already called him a bust, but this is the real test for Corson. There's certainly no guarantee of a roster spot so he's going to have to put in a strong showing. Worth remembering that the Cats traded up to get him last year.
Dylan Wheatley - Very curious about this guy. 10 goals in just 18 games in Midget last season with Charlottetown. Injury problems? First round pick in the MHL Draft.
Mika Cyr - Always lots of intrigue surrounding the team's top draft pick from this past spring. Can't always go by stats, but he had more goals than first rounder Peyton Hoyt last season. Certainly offensively skilled but enough to crack the roster at 16?
Ethan Crossman - The Cats one and only prized NCAA recruit from this draft. Obviously a lock for the team, but how good is he exactly?
Ethan DeStefani - The only other potential NCAA prize recruit from the 2015 draft for the Cats. Does he stay past 48 hours? Is he good enough to make the team anyway?
Jeremy McKenna - This guy intrigues me based on his stats. 15 points in 5 games at the Gatorade Challenge that the Q does prior to the draft. Probably spends this season with Summerside, but if you have him and Crossman on the team next season you would have to think that intrigues Adam Dawe.