Rookie of the year

[cougars_D-tyrell]

Just wondering who everyone thinks should win rookie of the year??????


To me it goes to Connolly hands sown the best 16 year old in the leauge. 30 goals is amazing for a 16 yearold last guy to do that was Patrick Marleau... if he doesnt win i hope it goes to calvin pickard cause to be a # 1 goalie in the dub as a 16 year old is pretty amazing... Weal would be the runner up as he is a great young player but is also on a line with Eberle. Connolly is all by himself carried the cougars into the playoffs.




What are your thoughts?

[Brandonite]

Just wondering who everyone thinks should win rookie of the year??????


To me it goes to Connolly hands sown the best 16 year old in the leauge. 30 goals is amazing for a 16 yearold last guy to do that was Patrick Marleau... if he doesnt win i hope it goes to calvin pickard cause to be a # 1 goalie in the dub as a 16 year old is pretty amazing... Weal would be the runner up as he is a great young player but is also on a line with Eberle. Connolly is all by himself carried the cougars into the playoffs.




What are your thoughts?

Wow...30 goals for a 16 year old is amazing! For any age really thats a good year for sure. I was excited when you said "Patrick Marleau was the last player to score 30 at age 16". I was sure Schenn scored 30 but he only scored 28 and Glennie got 26 and we all know how impressive they were as 16 year olds. I havent gotten the chance to see this Connolly kid play but that is amazing and considering Dana Tyrell being out for the year, the Cougars really have no one! By the sounds of things, he may be a runaway?

[brandonboy]

It'll be given to Weal from Regina and i'd say well deserved he had a great rookie season.

[HURRICANE'S ROCK]

Connolly lead his team in scoring and was 33% higher than the next guy on the team. 30 goals on that team is huge. Not knocking Weal's numbers but I think Connolly by a mile.

[sbtatter]

Weal for the East and Connolly for the West, and I pick Connolly for the win overall. He achieved great numbers with very little help. Not to knock Weal, who also did very well for a small guy, but he had more talent around him than Connolly.

[rednex50]

No consideration for Lucas Gore?? Faced the most shots per 60 minutes of ANY goaltender in the entire CHL. His win/loss record is nothing brag about, but many of his losses where by one goal where he faced 40+ shots in a night. He gave this team, as a rookie, a chance to win pretty much each and every night he was between the pipes. Can Weal and Connelly claim to have given their team a chance to win each and every game out there??

Weal had talent around him...so it helped to nurture him and allow him to gain his confidence, and make his mark on the team. Connolly, as you said, didn't have alot of help there either...but his job wasn't to hold his team in games, even if the others around him were not doing much. That is what Gore did...time and time again.

I do think that Connelly will end up winning the award, and the reason is his age. He's 16, and Gore is 18. But I think if Gore had a little more offensive in front of him (the Bruins were the worst offensive team in the league), his numbers would have been much better and more people would have been talking about him. It is a shame that he never got his "pops", simply because he played on a team with no offense and he still held his ground, and gave his team with an inexperienced blueline, and little to no offense up front, a chance to win pretty much each and every game he was between the pipes.

That is alot to ask of any goaltender, let alone a rookie. I sure hope he ends up with runner up status in the Western Conference. He at least deserved that.

[dagley]

Gallimore was impressive for Saskatoon this year.

[wango tango]

my vote for east rookie would be gallimore. he performed at a high level consistently for the whole season. weal would be my second choice as he also performed at a high level, but his play like the pats trailed off down the stretch.

my vote for whl rookie would go to pg's connolly. for a 16 year old to perform at that high a level, consistently, for an entire season, on a team that was less than stellar is an accomplishment.

[Some_Arrogant_Jerk]

my vote for east rookie would be gallimore. he performed at a high level consistently for the whole season....

Not really. He had a great start, and then really cooled off after hitting the 10 goal mark or so. He picked it up again a couple months later, but I wouldnt call him particularily consistant, which i expected for pretty much all rookies right now.

Not that the award really means too much. Look at Eberle, who got snubbed for his ROTY nomination by Robertson, who ended up as his now-former teammate. Not hard to tell who is the better player there.

Id take Weal out of the East, and not just because Im a pats season ticket holder. Its not often a 16 year old rookie cracks 70 points, and its not like he was just leeching points off of Eberle. The kid is the real deal.

Though I would pick Connolly out of the West and probably for ROTY. Is already a great goal scorer in the defensive-minded WHL.

[sbtatter]

No consideration for Lucas Gore?? Faced the most shots per 60 minutes of ANY goaltender in the entire CHL. His win/loss record is nothing brag about, but many of his losses where by one goal where he faced 40+ shots in a night. He gave this team, as a rookie, a chance to win pretty much each and every night he was between the pipes. Can Weal and Connelly claim to have given their team a chance to win each and every game out there??

Weal had talent around him...so it helped to nurture him and allow him to gain his confidence, and make his mark on the team. Connolly, as you said, didn't have alot of help there either...but his job wasn't to hold his team in games, even if the others around him were not doing much. That is what Gore did...time and time again.

I do think that Connelly will end up winning the award, and the reason is his age. He's 16, and Gore is 18. But I think if Gore had a little more offensive in front of him (the Bruins were the worst offensive team in the league), his numbers would have been much better and more people would have been talking about him. It is a shame that he never got his "pops", simply because he played on a team with no offense and he still held his ground, and gave his team with an inexperienced blueline, and little to no offense up front, a chance to win pretty much each and every game he was between the pipes.

That is alot to ask of any goaltender, let alone a rookie. I sure hope he ends up with runner up status in the Western Conference. He at least deserved that.
I like the award to go to a true rookie, a 16 year old, rather than a more experienced guy. Just my bias.

[Allin44]

Agree with SB and say a 16 year old who likely hadn't played any level of Junior before should get teh award