Joe Hallenback
09-10-2009, 09:11 AM
Having to go to Regina in the middle of week for work kind of sucks sometimes but unlucky me it was my turn to make the trip out. The 6 hour drive from Winnipeg o Regina can be best described as flat and boring.:)
The good was that night Brandon was in town playing Regina so I decided to stay and watch the game. The bad news was I would still have to make the 6 hour(I think it took me 4 hours to drive back lol) drive back and be at work for 9.
The game
Brandon was dressing a mostly Rookie lineup and the same could be said for Regina so it was going to be interesting to see who's rookies looked better.
2 things that don't show up on scoresheets. Actually one does but it is misleading. Regina fired almost 50 shots at Brandon but honestly they shoot the puck from anywhere on the ice. Brandon was almost reluctant to shoot from the outside instead they seemed to want to work the puck to the slot for a better shot
The other thing is Brandon's rookies for my point of view have more "skill" than Regina's. The few pat fan's I was sitting with commented on the same thing
Goalies
Rimmer - Wow what an eye opener for me. He looked really good and he loves to handle that puck. He also shot the puck out twice in the first causing two penalties but still he was pretty damm good
Hayes - Very solid but still gave up a few bad rebounds. He looks confident though.
Defense
As a whole you could really see the lack of experience out there. They got running around there zone a few times because of that and at this level you have to make the safe plays FAST. That is what will seperate guys
Robidoux - I am not sure what Kelly will do with him. I have a feeling he could be traded at some point. He is a decent 5-6 guy on this team but we need something a little more. He will be a player for some team though. Hell Regina could use him
Miller - Erratic is the best way to describe him. One moment he is making tape to tape 80 foot passes and smashing people into the boards and the next he is flubbing simple d to d passes in his zone. He has all the tools to be a great player but I am not sure if he has the head for it
Bestland and Schneider - Pretty solid for the most part again if these 2 are are bottom guys then we are going to be pretty good
Erhardt - Big and Safe. Pretty simple game from the guy. Showed signs of being mean in front of his net.
Rock - Not good enough for this level. He is a good Junior A guy but for me if your that big and don't play mean you better be pretty damm good with the puck then
Forwards
Hall/Depape/Stone - Holy god we have found a line that could tear it up here. They were so good every time they were on the ice. That is probably the best I have seen Hall play. Him and Stone were all over the place and Depape is the kind of Silky smooth playmaker you put with them. Yes it is only exhibition but if these guys can keep that chemistry the sky is the limit
Ferland - Right now this guy deserves to make this team. He for me at least is better than Sanfred King. His intensity and desire is fairly evident and for me at least after this one game he is playing his way on this team. I believe he was playing with Lewadniuk and Wheaton King.
Wheaton King - Another player I like alot. He looks alot bigger this year and he could be that 4th line player who can crash and bang. He is like a Cale Jefferies but more skilled
Lewadniuk and Cowan - I like both guys but one of them is probably gone. Right now for me it is probably Cowan. He is a bottom 6 player and there may not be room for a 20 year old there especially with some of the youngsters we have.
Wilson - He looks like a wrecking ball. A wrecking ball with buttery soft hands though. He is such a deceptively good passer for a guy who looks like a tank. It is pretty evident he has tremendous skill it will take some time for any 16 year old in the WHL to rise and not much will be expected out of him this year. I can see him sliding in and out of the lineup because I can't see them sending him back. He will be a great player in this league for us and will likely end up being a top draft pick in the NHL.
Overall
I am amazed at how well Kelly and company scout Manitoba for players. Consider the fact that Stone,Depape,Hall,Ferland and King were all middle round draft picks. That kind of management will assure us that Brandon will remain a top team because we can exploit the local talent better than any other team.
This team is going to be scary good when we get everyone back. It may well be the best team we have ever had.
A few of the Regina fans were pretty confident that Eberle would be headed our way at some point during the season. When I asked what would you like in return many commented on Depape,Hall and one of the young defenseman like Miller and Erdhart.
p.s. Jordan Weal is a great little player.
The good was that night Brandon was in town playing Regina so I decided to stay and watch the game. The bad news was I would still have to make the 6 hour(I think it took me 4 hours to drive back lol) drive back and be at work for 9.
The game
Brandon was dressing a mostly Rookie lineup and the same could be said for Regina so it was going to be interesting to see who's rookies looked better.
2 things that don't show up on scoresheets. Actually one does but it is misleading. Regina fired almost 50 shots at Brandon but honestly they shoot the puck from anywhere on the ice. Brandon was almost reluctant to shoot from the outside instead they seemed to want to work the puck to the slot for a better shot
The other thing is Brandon's rookies for my point of view have more "skill" than Regina's. The few pat fan's I was sitting with commented on the same thing
Goalies
Rimmer - Wow what an eye opener for me. He looked really good and he loves to handle that puck. He also shot the puck out twice in the first causing two penalties but still he was pretty damm good
Hayes - Very solid but still gave up a few bad rebounds. He looks confident though.
Defense
As a whole you could really see the lack of experience out there. They got running around there zone a few times because of that and at this level you have to make the safe plays FAST. That is what will seperate guys
Robidoux - I am not sure what Kelly will do with him. I have a feeling he could be traded at some point. He is a decent 5-6 guy on this team but we need something a little more. He will be a player for some team though. Hell Regina could use him
Miller - Erratic is the best way to describe him. One moment he is making tape to tape 80 foot passes and smashing people into the boards and the next he is flubbing simple d to d passes in his zone. He has all the tools to be a great player but I am not sure if he has the head for it
Bestland and Schneider - Pretty solid for the most part again if these 2 are are bottom guys then we are going to be pretty good
Erhardt - Big and Safe. Pretty simple game from the guy. Showed signs of being mean in front of his net.
Rock - Not good enough for this level. He is a good Junior A guy but for me if your that big and don't play mean you better be pretty damm good with the puck then
Forwards
Hall/Depape/Stone - Holy god we have found a line that could tear it up here. They were so good every time they were on the ice. That is probably the best I have seen Hall play. Him and Stone were all over the place and Depape is the kind of Silky smooth playmaker you put with them. Yes it is only exhibition but if these guys can keep that chemistry the sky is the limit
Ferland - Right now this guy deserves to make this team. He for me at least is better than Sanfred King. His intensity and desire is fairly evident and for me at least after this one game he is playing his way on this team. I believe he was playing with Lewadniuk and Wheaton King.
Wheaton King - Another player I like alot. He looks alot bigger this year and he could be that 4th line player who can crash and bang. He is like a Cale Jefferies but more skilled
Lewadniuk and Cowan - I like both guys but one of them is probably gone. Right now for me it is probably Cowan. He is a bottom 6 player and there may not be room for a 20 year old there especially with some of the youngsters we have.
Wilson - He looks like a wrecking ball. A wrecking ball with buttery soft hands though. He is such a deceptively good passer for a guy who looks like a tank. It is pretty evident he has tremendous skill it will take some time for any 16 year old in the WHL to rise and not much will be expected out of him this year. I can see him sliding in and out of the lineup because I can't see them sending him back. He will be a great player in this league for us and will likely end up being a top draft pick in the NHL.
Overall
I am amazed at how well Kelly and company scout Manitoba for players. Consider the fact that Stone,Depape,Hall,Ferland and King were all middle round draft picks. That kind of management will assure us that Brandon will remain a top team because we can exploit the local talent better than any other team.
This team is going to be scary good when we get everyone back. It may well be the best team we have ever had.
A few of the Regina fans were pretty confident that Eberle would be headed our way at some point during the season. When I asked what would you like in return many commented on Depape,Hall and one of the young defenseman like Miller and Erdhart.
p.s. Jordan Weal is a great little player.