Post by kyle52 on Nov 18, 2024 19:40:48 GMT -4
Overall - 6-13-1-1 - Very underwhelming season so far. We were expected to take a leap this year. It was time to show development from our 17 last season. Although some players are finding their game, it's not gelling well as a team and the offence is completely dry other than a select few.
Forwards
#11 Kyle Powers (21GP 3G 4A 7P -3) - He's been okay. He belongs in the bottom six. You can see he misses the Hughes and Huckins line from last year. He's decent on the forecheck and is solid in the faceoff dot. He's a rat to play against but the offence just isn't where it should be.
#13 Matthew Butler (21GP 8G 6A 14P -6) - Although he hasn't taken a huge step, he's still a very dynamic, skilled and fast forward. Tied for the team lead in goals. He can also be a rat to play against. He's not afraid to throw the body and just be a pain in the ass towards anyone (trying to choke someone out against Moncton this weekend). If he gets moved, he could bring back a nice package as if he's surrounded by the right players, he could easily be over PPG as soon as next year.
#14 Anthony Flanagan (17GP 0G 1A 1P -3) - Not at all what I was expecting from him this year. At the beginning of last year I thought this kid was dynamite. Blocking shots, not afraid to shoot the puck, had some skill but was a bit undersized. Well, he's had his chance and it's been a failed experiment. A change of scenery could be what this kid needs but with his skillset, he needs to produce more than just one assist through 17 games.
#15 Ross Campbell (17GP 2G 10A 12P -7) - He's a very skilled playmaker. At times, he can take over a shift but he needs to start scoring. He can get hot-headed at times, but he's maturing quickly and the really ugly parts are starting to leave his game. Part of it is he could get a few more bounces, but still room to grow on both ends of the ice. One of our better players this season.
#17 Brayden Stumpf (21GP 1G 3A 4P -9) - What you'd expect from a 4th liner. High-energy, forechecks and not that bad in the o-zone. He's been a bit snakebitten and I was happy to see him get on the board this weekend against Moncton.
#19 Brett Yuzik (19GP 0G 1A 1P -7) - The worst forward on this team IMO. I get it. He's Jim's ideal player being 6'4", but he has not looked good. Sloppy with the puck, can't use his size to drive the net. There are other guys on the team that do a better job at what he's supposed to do.
#24 Nathan Leek (18GP 8G 3A 11P -2) - One of the better forwards on the team. Great Ontario find for Jim. He can drive the play, great net-front presence, always looks calm. He's very good at driving to the front of the net with a power move. Seems to be popular in the locker room, he's the kind of guy some teams could be looking for if we wanted to flip him for futures.
#34 Spencer Caines (19GP 2G 1A 3P -10) - He looked good at the start of the year then seemingly fell off a cliff. Came from the Valley Wildcats after winning rookie of the year in Jr A last year, I had high hopes considering he also seemed to be a perfect fit for Jim. He's got a decent shot and is good on the forecheck, but needs work in his own end. I wouldn't be shocked if he gets sent back to Jr A.
#47 Alexis Michaud (21GP 8G 7A 15P -8) - Second best forward on the team. His skating has improved greatly since coming into the league. He puts himself in places to succeed and he's been my favourite player to watch so far. A great shot with improving playmaking and is a good penalty killer. Unfortunate to see him go down with an injury against Moncton, will have to see how he's doing. He's taken the biggest jump from last year IMO.
#55 Simon Hughes (17GP 1G 6A 7P -6) - Disappointing start to his 20-year-old season. It seemed he had found his stride at the end of last year and I had hoped he'd be able to carry that over and have maybe a 25/25 campaign this year. Unfortunately, that's not the case. He's struggled hard out of the gate. He gives 110%, but it's just not good enough. He's had a few good good chances, but the finish just isn't there. I'd love to be able to loop back on this later in the year and say he's turned it around, but I have very restrained optimism. Great guy, bad start.
#72 Will Shields (16GP 5G 4A 9P -5) - There's a lot of effort given by this kid. He has a great shot and decent skating, but I'd still like to see a bit more. He's been unlucky a lot and has missed some time with injury, but he could be someone we could get a decent pick for and that's probably the move I'd look to do. Great guy, involved with the community and I wouldn't be surprised if he does take another step.
#82 Egor Goriunov (11GP 4G 6A 10P -2) - The best player on the team when he plays. It's been unfortunate given the situation we're in with 20s, but at some point you really have to consider starting him full time over Hughes unless you can find a way to deal with the 20s situation some other way. He's the best forechecker on the team and runs the power play with authority. He's strong and has a good shot. He moves around a lot and has clearly been the best player on the team.
#88 Mathis Valente (20GP 2G 4A 6P +1) - One of my favourite players this year. He's fast, skilled, and a solid bottom six energy guy. He has the tools to develop into a decent player and he's one of the only positive players on the team in terms of plus/minus. I think he could be in for a big second half of the season. Off the ice he's popular as well, always smiling and well-liked around the room.
Jude Herron and Lane Sim - Very small sample size for the both of them, but also have been two of the more notable players over the past weekend despite low playing time. Herron looks comfortable as a 16-year-old just coming in and Sim brings energy and good physical play. I've heard Sim has a sneaky good shot despite having 0 goals in the OHL before coming here. Not necessarily needle-movers, but definitely better than some players who dressed this year.
Defencemen
#5 Max Jardine (19GP 0G 1A 1P -1) - Jardine, despite not putting up points, has been one of the most reliable players we've had all year. He will always give 110% on every play, he looks poised and he's catching up to Q speed at a good rate compared to how he started mid-season last year. He distributes the puck well and can be out there in almost every situation. If Kearsey ends up being traded, my money is on him to take the captaincy and fairly easily at that. Very well liked in the locker room and a fan-favourite.
#7 Marcus Kearsey (19GP 4G 7A 11P -12) - One of the bigger disappointments compared to what the hype was. He came back from Detroit's camp with cockiness and I believe his play has regressed from last season. He has the potential to be great for the Isles, could even be point-per game as a defenceman, but not at this rate. Would like to see more from him. The tools are there, he just has to use them.
#10 Owen Conrad (21GP 1G 4A 5P 0) - One of the more polarizing players on the team. On one hand, he's a big, solid, young defenceman with some offensive upside, on the other, he makes jarring devensive lapses and can be the direct cause of a goal against. I think it's more so when he makes a mistake, it's significant enough that you definitely notice it. I'd like to see the offence start going more. He moves the puck well and he's got a good shot, hopefully we can see it more in use.
#16 Nikita Voyaga (10GP 0G 1A 1P -6) - Voyaga hasn't been necessarily noticeable to me, but that doesn't have to be a bad thing. He does what he is supposed to do, just nothing fancy. Missing significant time with injury as well, to be honest, I just need to get a better look at the guy before I say too much.
#27 Thomas Sirman (website says he's #68 but he wears 27) (8GP 0G 2A 2P -5) - He's not terrible. He moves the puck well and he's not afraid to get physical. He's strong and shows emotion. I've seen him on the power play a few times and hasn't really looked out of place. I haven't watched too much of him but he's not bad. -5 in 8 games isn't ideal though.
#59 Zackary Plamondon (18GP 0G 2A 2P -6) - I'd like to see more offence, but he's been steady on the back-end. He doesn't look uncomfortable and I think as soon as next year we could see the point totals rise. I'd like to see him shoot the puck more.
#77 Anton Topilnyckyj (19GP 0G 6A 6P -10) - The only player more polarizing than Owen Conrad. There have been a couple of games where he was the best defencemam on the ice, and some where he shouldn't even be playing Jr A let alone Q hockey. I think the biggest thing for Topo is his confidence. You can tell when he's not confident and it drastically affects his game. I can recall way too many instances this year where a goal was directly on him, but you just have to have a short memory and move on.
Emile-Alexandro Lemieux-Goupil - I thought I'd give him a mention here. He looked solid when he played. I think giving him a taste of Q time was great for his development. He's big and didn't look unnatural out there. Not bad for where he was drafted.
Goalies
#1 Donald Hickey (1-7 2.98GAA .901SV%) - He should be the most pissed off of anyone on this team. Having a .901SV% and being 1-7 isn't adding up for me. It seems every game he makes a near jaw-dropping save, but his defence leaves him out to dry way too much. As a 17-year-old, he has great skill with his glove and seems to always be in position. Calm and poised. Hickey is the only reason I have any bit of hope in the future of the team right now.
#71 Nicolas Ruccia (5-8 3.48GAA .890SV%) - He's been underwhelming IMO. I understand the Isles d-core leaves him out to dry, and at the start of the year he was unreal, but now he's having bad games more than he's being hung out to dry IMO. Idk if it's because he had high expectations from everyone going in, but I'm at least not a fan. His high-blocker side is a huge problem.
Forwards
#11 Kyle Powers (21GP 3G 4A 7P -3) - He's been okay. He belongs in the bottom six. You can see he misses the Hughes and Huckins line from last year. He's decent on the forecheck and is solid in the faceoff dot. He's a rat to play against but the offence just isn't where it should be.
#13 Matthew Butler (21GP 8G 6A 14P -6) - Although he hasn't taken a huge step, he's still a very dynamic, skilled and fast forward. Tied for the team lead in goals. He can also be a rat to play against. He's not afraid to throw the body and just be a pain in the ass towards anyone (trying to choke someone out against Moncton this weekend). If he gets moved, he could bring back a nice package as if he's surrounded by the right players, he could easily be over PPG as soon as next year.
#14 Anthony Flanagan (17GP 0G 1A 1P -3) - Not at all what I was expecting from him this year. At the beginning of last year I thought this kid was dynamite. Blocking shots, not afraid to shoot the puck, had some skill but was a bit undersized. Well, he's had his chance and it's been a failed experiment. A change of scenery could be what this kid needs but with his skillset, he needs to produce more than just one assist through 17 games.
#15 Ross Campbell (17GP 2G 10A 12P -7) - He's a very skilled playmaker. At times, he can take over a shift but he needs to start scoring. He can get hot-headed at times, but he's maturing quickly and the really ugly parts are starting to leave his game. Part of it is he could get a few more bounces, but still room to grow on both ends of the ice. One of our better players this season.
#17 Brayden Stumpf (21GP 1G 3A 4P -9) - What you'd expect from a 4th liner. High-energy, forechecks and not that bad in the o-zone. He's been a bit snakebitten and I was happy to see him get on the board this weekend against Moncton.
#19 Brett Yuzik (19GP 0G 1A 1P -7) - The worst forward on this team IMO. I get it. He's Jim's ideal player being 6'4", but he has not looked good. Sloppy with the puck, can't use his size to drive the net. There are other guys on the team that do a better job at what he's supposed to do.
#24 Nathan Leek (18GP 8G 3A 11P -2) - One of the better forwards on the team. Great Ontario find for Jim. He can drive the play, great net-front presence, always looks calm. He's very good at driving to the front of the net with a power move. Seems to be popular in the locker room, he's the kind of guy some teams could be looking for if we wanted to flip him for futures.
#34 Spencer Caines (19GP 2G 1A 3P -10) - He looked good at the start of the year then seemingly fell off a cliff. Came from the Valley Wildcats after winning rookie of the year in Jr A last year, I had high hopes considering he also seemed to be a perfect fit for Jim. He's got a decent shot and is good on the forecheck, but needs work in his own end. I wouldn't be shocked if he gets sent back to Jr A.
#47 Alexis Michaud (21GP 8G 7A 15P -8) - Second best forward on the team. His skating has improved greatly since coming into the league. He puts himself in places to succeed and he's been my favourite player to watch so far. A great shot with improving playmaking and is a good penalty killer. Unfortunate to see him go down with an injury against Moncton, will have to see how he's doing. He's taken the biggest jump from last year IMO.
#55 Simon Hughes (17GP 1G 6A 7P -6) - Disappointing start to his 20-year-old season. It seemed he had found his stride at the end of last year and I had hoped he'd be able to carry that over and have maybe a 25/25 campaign this year. Unfortunately, that's not the case. He's struggled hard out of the gate. He gives 110%, but it's just not good enough. He's had a few good good chances, but the finish just isn't there. I'd love to be able to loop back on this later in the year and say he's turned it around, but I have very restrained optimism. Great guy, bad start.
#72 Will Shields (16GP 5G 4A 9P -5) - There's a lot of effort given by this kid. He has a great shot and decent skating, but I'd still like to see a bit more. He's been unlucky a lot and has missed some time with injury, but he could be someone we could get a decent pick for and that's probably the move I'd look to do. Great guy, involved with the community and I wouldn't be surprised if he does take another step.
#82 Egor Goriunov (11GP 4G 6A 10P -2) - The best player on the team when he plays. It's been unfortunate given the situation we're in with 20s, but at some point you really have to consider starting him full time over Hughes unless you can find a way to deal with the 20s situation some other way. He's the best forechecker on the team and runs the power play with authority. He's strong and has a good shot. He moves around a lot and has clearly been the best player on the team.
#88 Mathis Valente (20GP 2G 4A 6P +1) - One of my favourite players this year. He's fast, skilled, and a solid bottom six energy guy. He has the tools to develop into a decent player and he's one of the only positive players on the team in terms of plus/minus. I think he could be in for a big second half of the season. Off the ice he's popular as well, always smiling and well-liked around the room.
Jude Herron and Lane Sim - Very small sample size for the both of them, but also have been two of the more notable players over the past weekend despite low playing time. Herron looks comfortable as a 16-year-old just coming in and Sim brings energy and good physical play. I've heard Sim has a sneaky good shot despite having 0 goals in the OHL before coming here. Not necessarily needle-movers, but definitely better than some players who dressed this year.
Defencemen
#5 Max Jardine (19GP 0G 1A 1P -1) - Jardine, despite not putting up points, has been one of the most reliable players we've had all year. He will always give 110% on every play, he looks poised and he's catching up to Q speed at a good rate compared to how he started mid-season last year. He distributes the puck well and can be out there in almost every situation. If Kearsey ends up being traded, my money is on him to take the captaincy and fairly easily at that. Very well liked in the locker room and a fan-favourite.
#7 Marcus Kearsey (19GP 4G 7A 11P -12) - One of the bigger disappointments compared to what the hype was. He came back from Detroit's camp with cockiness and I believe his play has regressed from last season. He has the potential to be great for the Isles, could even be point-per game as a defenceman, but not at this rate. Would like to see more from him. The tools are there, he just has to use them.
#10 Owen Conrad (21GP 1G 4A 5P 0) - One of the more polarizing players on the team. On one hand, he's a big, solid, young defenceman with some offensive upside, on the other, he makes jarring devensive lapses and can be the direct cause of a goal against. I think it's more so when he makes a mistake, it's significant enough that you definitely notice it. I'd like to see the offence start going more. He moves the puck well and he's got a good shot, hopefully we can see it more in use.
#16 Nikita Voyaga (10GP 0G 1A 1P -6) - Voyaga hasn't been necessarily noticeable to me, but that doesn't have to be a bad thing. He does what he is supposed to do, just nothing fancy. Missing significant time with injury as well, to be honest, I just need to get a better look at the guy before I say too much.
#27 Thomas Sirman (website says he's #68 but he wears 27) (8GP 0G 2A 2P -5) - He's not terrible. He moves the puck well and he's not afraid to get physical. He's strong and shows emotion. I've seen him on the power play a few times and hasn't really looked out of place. I haven't watched too much of him but he's not bad. -5 in 8 games isn't ideal though.
#59 Zackary Plamondon (18GP 0G 2A 2P -6) - I'd like to see more offence, but he's been steady on the back-end. He doesn't look uncomfortable and I think as soon as next year we could see the point totals rise. I'd like to see him shoot the puck more.
#77 Anton Topilnyckyj (19GP 0G 6A 6P -10) - The only player more polarizing than Owen Conrad. There have been a couple of games where he was the best defencemam on the ice, and some where he shouldn't even be playing Jr A let alone Q hockey. I think the biggest thing for Topo is his confidence. You can tell when he's not confident and it drastically affects his game. I can recall way too many instances this year where a goal was directly on him, but you just have to have a short memory and move on.
Emile-Alexandro Lemieux-Goupil - I thought I'd give him a mention here. He looked solid when he played. I think giving him a taste of Q time was great for his development. He's big and didn't look unnatural out there. Not bad for where he was drafted.
Goalies
#1 Donald Hickey (1-7 2.98GAA .901SV%) - He should be the most pissed off of anyone on this team. Having a .901SV% and being 1-7 isn't adding up for me. It seems every game he makes a near jaw-dropping save, but his defence leaves him out to dry way too much. As a 17-year-old, he has great skill with his glove and seems to always be in position. Calm and poised. Hickey is the only reason I have any bit of hope in the future of the team right now.
#71 Nicolas Ruccia (5-8 3.48GAA .890SV%) - He's been underwhelming IMO. I understand the Isles d-core leaves him out to dry, and at the start of the year he was unreal, but now he's having bad games more than he's being hung out to dry IMO. Idk if it's because he had high expectations from everyone going in, but I'm at least not a fan. His high-blocker side is a huge problem.
