Dimitruk

[falcon]

steveul said:

hockeyfan99 said:

Nice to see the Wildcats are able to buy another player. This season could have been a whole lot different if you were on an even playing field with everyone else.

Marquardt - Mangan - Bezak
Cameron - Labelle - Eagles
Lessard - Sill (was he bought?) - Brannon
MacAusland - Brown - Watson

Pianosi - Baca
Barberio - Demitruk
Goyens - Tolles


Without those guys this team is battling to stay ahead of Cape Breton and looks to have a tough few years of development.

Instead I agree with Steve it looks like this team could be battling for home ice advantage.

Marquardt was not bought ... he came to Moncton ahead of other teams because he could play in the Mem Cup ... he isn't exactly academic material.

Watson was just a FA addition ... not bought at all ... same as Tolles ... and neither of them has had any impact yet on the team playing something like a combined 26 games. I think Watson had played a few games in the WHL in pre-season or regular season ... not sure ... so his NCAA eligibility was no longer an issue.

Sill was drafted ... went NCAA ... got into trouble down there and lost his scholarship ... so he cost us nothing. He had already burned his NCAA dream so it wasn't like he was holding out for something.

We are on an even footing with all other Q teams. Moncton just chooses to treat its players better by contributing to their education in a bigger way than other teams do. All other teams have the option to get off their wallets to convince kids that have an NCAA option that the Q is a good route for them. Its called "making an investment in your team" ... it pays off down the road when these elite players blossom into superstars and the team can market around them ... or it pays off in wins which creates better attendance.

Teams that are not investing in their players are not investing in their team. SS Jr might actually build an exciting team in PEI if he opened his wallet a little and targetted some higher end picks.

Irving is looking into buying another bus for the kids are are being paid big bucks to play in the Q. They have grouped together and asked for an airplane but RKI has countered with a special tour bus concept for the handful of special players who are on the payroll. Apparently when this is ironed out Dimitrik will agree to report......

[SteveUL]

hockeyfan99 said:

steveul said:

We are on an even footing with all other Q teams. Moncton just chooses to treat its players better by contributing to their education in a bigger way than other teams do. All other teams have the option to get off their wallets to convince kids that have an NCAA option that the Q is a good route for them.

You certainly have an interesting perspective Steve although clearly not in touch with the realities of the rest of the league. And I do find it funny how you paint Irving and Moncton's Management as simply caring more about their players and other owners simply being greedy and wanting to keep their money.

The truth is if Irving really did care about his players that much then he would offer the same education package to all his players and not a huge amount for Brown and MacAusland, a big amount Piaonsi, some incentives for others and the basic for the rest.

And the reality is that as was discussed at great length on Moosetalk a while ago there are significant financial disparities between teams like Quebec, Halifax, Moncton and other teams like PEI. And most teams simply can't afford those kind of additional incentives to attract the top players which creates an inbalance which has been growing and will continue to grow.

And so while I agree with Sec 21 that on one hand at least attracting the top players to the Q is good for the league. I also think it is a bad thing that more and more then are always ending up with the same teams and IMO it is more important to maintain for the league to maintain a competitive balance. What worries me is that more and more the Q seems to be heading closer to the baseball model where the same 5 or 6 teams are in contention every season with a few middle teams and the rest are your perennial basement teams. And is what is going to happen if this trend continues.


Anyway I am not trying to turn this into a Moncton is bad because they are using their money to create the best product possible because that is what they should be doing and if PEI had Moncton's financial resources I would expect our GM to do the same.

Having said that as I was reading the quote which stated that Dimitruk left awaiting an agreement on his "educational package" (wink, wink) it had me thinking about all of the players on Moncton's current and past roster who basically weren't available to most of the league.

As I said, the Wildcats would be a much much different team if they really were on an even footing with the other teams.

The reality of the real world is that you often have to spend money to be able to make any money ... and its too bad that some of the smaller market owners don't grasp that. Even when it comes to marketing ... too many teams are not using the power of the newspaper article to create a buzz about their team. It may take the team investing in part of the salary of fulltime (10 months) reporter that travels with the team ... but that type of investment will pay off big in attendance.

Moncton has also been very aggressive in bringing in FA players to fill in holes during rebuilding years ... and most of those players cost nothing more than travel expenses ... but its that hard work (compared to other teams) that has allowed Moncton to stay competitive (top 5 in the standings) for 5 yrs in a row now. Other teams choose to just take their lumps all year instead of bringing in FA's to fill in some holes ... and I'm glad I don't have to follow a team like that.

[IslandersHKY]

steveul said:

The reality of the real world is that you often have to spend money to be able to make any money ... and its too bad that some of the smaller market owners don't grasp that. Even when it comes to marketing ... too many teams are not using the power of the newspaper article to create a buzz about their team. It may take the team investing in part of the salary of fulltime (10 months) reporter that travels with the team ... but that type of investment will pay off big in attendance.

Moncton has also been very aggressive in bringing in FA players to fill in holes during rebuilding years ... and most of those players cost nothing more than travel expenses ... but its that hard work (compared to other teams) that has allowed Moncton to stay competitive (top 5 in the standings) for 5 yrs in a row now. Other teams choose to just take their lumps all year instead of bringing in FA's to fill in some holes ... and I'm glad I don't have to follow a team like that.

Now that statement I agree with. I think having a dedicated reporter on salary is a great marketing idea and worth the investment. And marketing is one area where the Rocket are well behind most in the league.

As for your second part I have no problem with free agent signings just like Magnan. He was an example of time and resources invested to bring him over but every team had a relatively equal opportunity. And you are right that a couple of free agent signings here and there can help add depth and teams like Moncton, Gatineau and even small market CB have been very successful at this.

But there is a big difference between them and buying players like Brown, MacAusland, Pisanosi and Dimitruk these are highly touted prospects that every team would want but only a select few could actually afford. And long term which ones do you think will make the most impact?

[wildcats]

Dimitruk he play like yandle at 17 cant wait to see him at 19 with the cats

[curtis]

wildcats said:

Dimitruk he play like yandle at 17 cant wait to see him at 19 with the cats

That's a serious overstatement. He looked good, but Yandle is the most exciting defenseman I've seen play on a day-to-day basis.

Dimitruk could get there eventually, but he has a long way to go. I'd be thrilled if he could be a Yandle Lite.

[wild1]

There has to more to the Micheli situation, maybe he wanted guaranteed playing time or something else, because he was one of the best D out there, Gomes, Wilson, Little, and Eastman are all decent players but, Micheli was better than all those guys and he is certainly better than Tolles and Goyens. If Flynn cut him for no other reason then I would say he has made a big mistake as this kid will hook on with some other team soon, he had good size and incredible passing and stick handling skills and was a decent skater too, so I can't figure out what logic they have used to just cut him.

[jayden15]

Just wondering why everyone is so high on yandle....he`s not the best d-man that moncton has had.....like Alexei Tezikov...i didnt find yandle anything special....but thats just me...

[milo]

Yeah, what good is a guy who puts up 84 points and a +50? Waste of a jersey!

[themouthofthesouth]

if you ask me, Keith Yandle was the most exciting player to watch on the 2005-2006 Moncton Wildcats. and keep in mind all the other star players they had that season like Dupuis, Pineault, Goulet, Karsums, Marchand, and hell even Bourdon (before he got injured).

[jimmy]

jayden15 said:

Just wondering why everyone is so high on yandle....he`s not the best d-man that moncton has had.....like Alexei Tezikov...i didnt find yandle anything special....but thats just me...

Yandle was awesome ... his skill level was very high, but he added to it with his personality - he had a flair for the dramatic, and he carried himself (on the ice anyway) like a star .... by all accounts Tezikov possessed similar qualities - but it was a long time ago when he played for the Cats ... before many of the current generation of fans followed the Q closely ... so he probably gets less recognition than he deserves ... 10 years from now, a lot of people won't remember Yandle either, unless he becomes an NHL star.

[Penguins23®]

jimmy said:

jayden15 said:

Just wondering why everyone is so high on yandle....he`s not the best d-man that moncton has had.....like Alexei Tezikov...i didnt find yandle anything special....but thats just me...

Yandle was awesome ... his skill level was very high, but he added to it with his personality - he had a flair for the dramatic, and he carried himself (on the ice anyway) like a star .... by all accounts Tezikov possessed similar qualities - but it was a long time ago when he played for the Cats ... before many of the current generation of fans followed the Q closely ... so he probably gets less recognition than he deserves ... 10 years from now, a lot of people won't remember Yandle either, unless he becomes an NHL star.

No offense to Tezikov but it's his own fault. If she have stayed out of <snip>. Obviously he wasn't very serious about his hockey career. He ended up in Industrial B playing for Irving Tissue.

[bystander]

penguins23 said:

jimmy said:

Yandle was awesome ... his skill level was very high, but he added to it with his personality - he had a flair for the dramatic, and he carried himself (on the ice anyway) like a star .... by all accounts Tezikov possessed similar qualities - but it was a long time ago when he played for the Cats ... before many of the current generation of fans followed the Q closely ... so he probably gets less recognition than he deserves ... 10 years from now, a lot of people won't remember Yandle either, unless he becomes an NHL star.

No offense to Tezikov but it's his own fault. If she have stayed out of <snip>. Obviously he wasn't very serious about his hockey career. He ended up in Industrial B playing for Irving Tissue.

Hey, whether or not this is true.. This is not the place to post that. It is slanderous.. To state that his career tanked and he ended up playing industrial B for Irving Tissue would of been just fine.

[Penguins23®]

bystander said:

penguins23 said:

No offense to Tezikov but it's his own fault. If she have stayed out of <snip>. Obviously he wasn't very serious about his hockey career. He ended up in Industrial B playing for Irving Tissue.

Hey, whether or not this is true.. This is not the place to post that. It is slanderous.. To state that his career tanked and he ended up playing industrial B for Irving Tissue would of been just fine.

It's the facts of junior hockey. To be naive about it isn't much better. If a mod feels it was too much they can edit it I don't mind but it's the facts of life. I thought everyone knew it anyways.

[bystander]

Now back on topic.. I really like Dimitruk's play. I hope they can arrange something. I think for a 17 year old player that if we can land him for the Cats he will be fun to watch for the next couple of years.

[senators19]

jimmy said:

jayden15 said:

Just wondering why everyone is so high on yandle....he`s not the best d-man that moncton has had.....like Alexei Tezikov...i didnt find yandle anything special....but thats just me...

Yandle was awesome ... his skill level was very high, but he added to it with his personality - he had a flair for the dramatic, and he carried himself (on the ice anyway) like a star .... by all accounts Tezikov possessed similar qualities - but it was a long time ago when he played for the Cats ... before many of the current generation of fans followed the Q closely ... so he probably gets less recognition than he deserves ... 10 years from now, a lot of people won't remember Yandle either, unless he becomes an NHL star.

I have only been a season ticket holder for 6 years now but Yandle is the best D I have seen in that time including Burdon.