Name your Giants roster (Just for fun - 14 forwards, 7 defencemen and 2 goalies)

[N.W. Bruin]

There will be a minimum 3 new forwards (4 depending on Kane's situation). Though I would prefer Kennedy not making it I can't see him being displaced by a fifth ranked prospect. Though the Dane's situation is also up in the air.

[N.W. Bruin]

Garry Nunn (O/A)
Mike Piluso (19)
James Henry (18)
Brendan Gallagher (17) (Will have a great season)
Lane Scheidl (17)
Lance Bouma (19)
Sebastian Sveendsen (18) (Skates pretty good)
Craig Cunningham (19)
Andrej Kudrna (18) (Fancy again)
James Wright (19)
Mikael Jung (17)
J.T. Barnett (17)
Todd Kennedy (19)
Andre Parker (16)

(If Evander Kane is returned I can see Kennedy being the odd one out - Andre Parker has looked good (better than Cain Franson so I give him the lead)).

Ryan Funk (O/A)
Kevin Connauton (19)
Neil Manning (18)
Bronson Maschmeyer (18)
Simon Witt (17)
Zach Hodder (16)
David Musil (16)

(Can't see Luke Fenske making it as a sixteen year old regular and Mitch Spooner will continue to struggle for the third straight season since he was drafted - Didn't do much in B.C. Major Midget as a 15 year old and had to drop down to Jr. B as a 16 year old).

Jamie Tucker (18)
Jay Deo (17)

(Backup goalie battle is between Deo and Mark Segal (Ken Cameron has been scored on way too much so far in camp and looks uncomfortable) and the only reason Deo gets the nod is Segal is the same age as Tucker while Deo is a year younger

[GF71]

The battle for the back up position is going to be between Deo and Jensen (who left the team to go to the U-17 tournament in Germany for team USA). The team is VERY high on Jensen.

[sman111]

wheres Matt Strong? Is he still in the mix on D?

[dondo]

he hasn't been cut yet .. he's been okay, but not amazing .. the team is so deep on D right now I'm not sure what's going to happen. From the little I have seen of him Matt hasn't looked bad out there, but he hasn't been really visible either.

he'll get some preseason time, esp with Funk nursing an injury .. so we'll have a better idea of what he brings then

[dondo]

I can see Kennedy being easily displaced. Todd is injured right now, so he can't even vie for a spot, but I hate big guys who are incapable of fighting and that's Todd to a tee. He tries hard, but to be blunt there are 16 year olds in camp who impress me more than Kennedy did all last season. I sincerely hope he does not have a regular roster spot, or even a depth spot if he's going to bring the same kind of game he brought last year.

He was most certainly one of my whipping boys and I don't see that changing anytime soon.

Its unfortunate because we need someone with Kennedy's size, but really we'd be better off making a deal to get someone who doesn't throw two punches, miss them both and then hug the guy for the rest of the battle. The Giants got manhandled in the playoffs and they need big bodies that contribute or at the very least protect their stars -- that ain't Todd.

Lane Scheidl looks primed to assume that role imo

[dondo]

Goalies:

Jamie Tucker
Brendan Jensen
Mark Segal

Defence:

Kevin Connauton
Neil Manning
Nolan Toigo (OA) (I expect he'll move to a role playing forward position)
Mitch Spooner
Zach Hodder
David Musil
Dillon Scholten
Simon Witt
Luke Fenske
Matt Strong
Ryan Funk (OA)

Forwards:

JT Barnett
Sebastian Svendsen
James Henry
Craig Cunningham
Lance Bouma
Greg Lamoureux
Brendan Gallagher
Nathan Burns
Brandon Scholten
Evander Kane
James Wright
Garry Nunn (OA)
Andrej Kudrna
Mike Piluso
Mike Jung
Lane Scheidl
Todd Kennedy (IR)

Here's the pre-season roster as it currently stands. The Giants have a few guys at NHL camps, so will probably carry most of these guys until they get some of that back.

I have serious concerns that Atlanta will be greedy and stupid and push to put Kane in the NHL this year and to be blunt that would be a disaster for both sides (it really is time to draft players after their 18th year, not their 17th year -- with cap pressures to put young unready guys into the line-up the league itself should step in and change the draft age -- to protect these guys, from careless and stupid GMs trying to hold onto their jobs, like McLean).

Kane got handily man-handled by Myers last year and the NHL is loaded with just those kinds of defensemen. Kane needs at least another year of seasoning and still has bunch to learn at the Junior level. We do not want another Brule story on the books.

[N.W. Bruin]

Here's the pre-season roster as it currently stands. The Giants have a few guys at NHL camps, so will probably carry most of these guys until they get some of that back.

I have serious concerns that Atlanta will be greedy and stupid and push to put Kane in the NHL this year and to be blunt that would be a disaster for both sides (it really is time to draft players after their 18th year, not their 17th year -- with cap pressures to put young unready guys into the line-up the league itself should step in and change the draft age -- to protect these guys, from careless and stupid GMs trying to hold onto their jobs, like McLean).

Kane got handily man-handled by Myers last year and the NHL is loaded with just those kinds of defensemen. Kane needs at least another year of seasoning and still has bunch to learn at the Junior level. We do not want another Brule story on the books.



One thing though Myers likely not back in the WHL as I see him sticking with Buffalo. Evander Kane I have the feeling is gone as well because of Atlanta's depth problem. If they had taken Brayden Schenn instead (Schenn wouldn't be back) and Los Angeles taken Kane I could see Evander having problems making the Kings what with more depth there. One can only hope. It would help the forward situation if he returned.

On another matter with three sixteen year olds on defence and likely being all among the top six D-men it would make it the first time I am sure that a WHL team had three sixteen year olds (or fifteen year olds) among their regular defencemen assuming one of them doesn't get put into the seventh spot. It is a bit of a concern but what the heck (sink or swim with it if they are the top six guys back there). Tough to see either nineteen year old being better than them and the seventeen year olds from where I stand likely are fighting for the seventh spot with Toigo being the number eight guy and used more as a forward this season.

[Toe Drag]

he hasn't been cut yet .. he's been okay, but not amazing .. the team is so deep on D right now I'm not sure what's going to happen. From the little I have seen of him Matt hasn't looked bad out there, but he hasn't been really visible either.

he'll get some preseason time, esp with Funk nursing an injury .. so we'll have a better idea of what he brings then

Explain deep?

[dondo]

well toe-drag in the off-season we picked up 20 yr old Ryan Funk, and were able to get the Canucks to move their draft (already on our PPL), pick Kevin Connauton (19) from his US college to really develop properly on the Giants for a season.

We also have, as NWB said above, three quality 16 yr old defensive prospects who are challenging the vets for a spot in the line-up. Hodder was a first round pick who seems to be following in the footsteps of Blum (great puck mover, good vision, nice instincts). Musil the son of Frank Musil, who is a 16 yr old who was born in Canada, but played last year in the Czech republic.. looks to be a real gamer -- high quality D-man who looks to be a future first round NHL pick. Luke Fenske is a big 16 yr old who uses his body weel and looks to be ready to chnallnge for the number 6 spot.

Neil Manning is back

picks Mitch Spooner and Dillon Scholten have not been fantastic, but constitute depth at the position as well. And we have Toigo who can play back or on forward as needed, as well a couple of more players who are vying for a spot -- as indicated in the list above.

enough depth for ya?