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Post by bois on Jul 5, 2023 13:58:51 GMT -4
He’s up to 175 according to the islanders site celebrated gettin drafted with a John Candy steak at Hunters? |
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Post by Score on Jul 5, 2023 14:26:37 GMT -4
According to their latest email:
"At pick 74, General Manager Hulton selected goaltender Aksels Ozols from Latvia. Last season with HC Riga started 17 games with a 2.98 GAA. Ozols stands 6’1″ and 174lbs."
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Post by countryboy on Jul 5, 2023 23:14:16 GMT -4
It looks like promising results in the Euro draft. Like everyone else, I thought we would have started with the goalie, but I guess the Islanders rolled the dice that we'd see more demand for skaters and opted with the high end forward first.
It's hard to analyze these guys when looking at stats from a league we have no clue about. It's a good indicator that Maruna is among the top scorers on his U18 team when competing against both U20 competition and U18 competition. He's got impressive size and it is an added bonus that he's a centreman. I expect he'll be coming to North America with optimism he will be selected in the 2024 NHL entry draft. The indications seem to be that the Islanders expect him to be hear to play next season.
Ozols was actually on the radar for the 2023 NHL draft. He was the 8th ranked goalie on the NHL CSR scouting list. He was Latvia's starting goalie at the recent World U18 tournament this past spring (playing with Peteris Boulans of Chicoutimi, Eriks Mateiko of Saint John, Kristers Ansons who was just picked by Blainville). Latvia is no world beater, but it is important to be a key part of their National program. The verbal from the team is less certain about his involvement in training camp, but you'd have to think they drafted him with the intention of having him play for us this year and our goaltending depth is still very thin, so he's likely the odds on favourite to be the #1 goalie to start the season.
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Post by Score on Jul 6, 2023 13:31:27 GMT -4
“We went into it with a double mandate of trying to add some size down the middle and youth, so Ondrej fit that bill,” said Hulton. “We put word out to agents that we wanted an ’06 centreman that fits in with that age group we are looking to build around.
“With the signing of (five-foot-11 and 150-pound Matthew) Butler and projecting forward, we need some size down the middle.”
Maruna, who Hulton described as a six-foot-three, six-foot-four centre, is building an international resumé.
Hulton noted Maruna, who represented Slovakia at the under-17 and under-18 level, will play in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup tournament this summer.
Obviously, (Maruna is) an elite player in his own country and a guy we feel can come over and transition really favourably in North America,” said Hulton.
With last season’s No. 1 goaltender, Jakob Robillard, graduating, the Islanders had a strong emphasis on adding a goaltender in the off-season.
“I’m not sure if greedy is the right word, but we wanted a forward with the first pick,” said Hulton. “We went into it thinking we could get an 18-, 19-year-old goaltender (with the second pick).
“A lot of the research that came back had Aksels as a guy we should be looking at. He was one of a couple of names that were prominent on our list, and we were fortunate when he was there at our pick.”
Hulton said Islanders goaltending coach Paul Drew did a lot of work behind the scenes researching potential goalie picks.
Hulton sad the six-foot-one Ozols has a very athletic style of play. In 17 games in the Latvia league, Ozols had a 2.98 goals-against average and an .898 save percentage.
Hulton said Ozols had strong showings at the World Junior A Hockey League Challenge in Cornwall, Ont., and at the world under-18 championship this past season.
“Obviously, with Latvia being an underdog country, he gets a lot of rubber,” said Hulton, who added Ozols was on the NHL radar. “Paul Drew really liked his movements and the structure of his play.”
Hulton said the Islanders did a lot of homework leading up to the draft, including contacting Maruna and Ozols. Hulton added both players have no issues contractually in their countries and will be at training camp.
“One of the big things for us is with the stage we are at in our rebuild, I don’t think we could afford to sit and wait for a year,” said Hulton.
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Post by Citris on Jul 6, 2023 15:35:00 GMT -4
155 pounds at 18 and 6 foot 1? I hope that weight is way off The first pick is intriguing tho Those weights are often taken at the beginning of a year or a tournament and then just left until they're updated again. In other words - I wouldn't put to much stock into it. |
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Post by countryboy on Jul 29, 2023 13:15:57 GMT -4
We might get a chance to see Maruna before he comes to PEI. He is part of Slovakia’s team in the upcoming Hlinka-Gretzky Cup.
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Post by Score on Aug 4, 2023 16:02:17 GMT -4
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Post by switchback on Aug 4, 2023 16:15:17 GMT -4
Played for Slovakia
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Post by Score on Aug 4, 2023 16:48:29 GMT -4
Haha.... My mistake! Thanks! Donuts across the board. |
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Post by Score on Aug 7, 2023 11:46:44 GMT -4
Any news regarding Ozols and whether or not he'll be at camp?
"Ozols has a raw package and according to Elite Prospects’ Draft Guide, he has good instincts for recognizing threats on the ice and often makes saves by positioning himself smartly.
FC Hockey’s Kellen Eyre also noted that his feet are very calm and quiet, and he moves around the crease with ease.
Since Ozols already has that in hs arsenal, he’s already ahead of the curve."
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PTBFP
Draft Pick
Posts: 65
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Post by PTBFP on Aug 7, 2023 13:31:00 GMT -4
Any news regarding Ozols and whether or not he'll be at camp? "Ozols has a raw package and according to Elite Prospects’ Draft Guide, he has good instincts for recognizing threats on the ice and often makes saves by positioning himself smartly. FC Hockey’s Kellen Eyre also noted that his feet are very calm and quiet, and he moves around the crease with ease. Since Ozols already has that in hs arsenal, he’s already ahead of the curve." From a Saltwire article, July 6. Hulton said the Islanders did a lot of homework leading up to the draft, including contacting Maruna and Ozols. Hulton added both players have no issues contractually in their countries and will be at training camp. “One of the big things for us is with the stage we are at in our rebuild, I don’t think we could afford to sit and wait for a year,” said Hulton. |
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Post by Kingrat on Aug 15, 2023 12:16:10 GMT -4
Did Bathurst euros report
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Post by jordo999 on Aug 16, 2023 11:44:58 GMT -4
Did Bathurst euros report Keller is listed on the teams camp roster. Pekarcik is staying in Slovakia and not reporting. |
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Post by joehockey on Aug 17, 2023 10:13:24 GMT -4
Did Bathurst euros report Keller is listed on the teams camp roster. Pekarcik is staying in Slovakia and not reporting. Is Pekarcik not going to the USHL? I thought I saw that he signed with a team there? |
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Post by jordo999 on Aug 17, 2023 12:44:27 GMT -4
Keller is listed on the teams camp roster. Pekarcik is staying in Slovakia and not reporting. Is Pekarcik not going to the USHL? I thought I saw that he signed with a team there? oh you're right that's where he ended up and I got mixed up. I know eliteprospects originally had him listed as staying in Slovakia but he's listed as playing for Dubuque in the USHL. |
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