new player

[witness]

http://communities.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/blogs/slapshots/default.aspx

Didn't see this coming.

And am I the only one that thinks the Bell forward experiment has to stop? It is fine if you are looking to get the kid ice time, but he is one of the top six defensemen. The team doesn't have a ton of depth on D, so play him there!

[Some_Arrogant_Jerk]

wait, Bells a defenceman? :confused:

I thought he was a "forwenceman"...because constantly playing our future franchise cornerstone defenceman on the 4th forward line would make too much sense, which isnt the pats usual M.O lately.

If I had my way, Bell would be in the top 4, bumping Pym down to the 3rd pairing and bumping Borstmayer to left bench or Tisdale.

[metalrules]

Speaking of D-men, how good is Brandon Davidson, I see his stats up in the league leaders for plus minus, and rookie scoring. Is he as good as the stats say?

[witness]

Is Brandon Davidson that good?
Yes.
You go through the game and you don't notice him. At the end, you look at the box score and he has a couple of assists and a plus 2. A sign of a good steady defenseman.

[patsdude114]

& he is rated 25th (if i remember right) out of the WHL skaters for this years up and coming draft.

He is definately a success story of a player who wasnt on the radar at all during his bantam draft year, a late bloomer whos parents couldnt afford to put him in elite minor hockey until they sold there farm which he went to play in Lethbridge last year where the Pats noticed him.

[Alberta Hockey]

Brandon Davidson is that good!! Brandon Davidson will only get better!!! So rattled that the finely tuned previous staff of the Hurricanes missed the boat on that gem...... right under there noses all season last year with the midget club and they failed to sniff that one out..... way to go Roy and the boys.......

[metalrules]

Man, 4 assists the other night against Portland, this kid is legit. If he keeps progressing I see him moving up into top 20 players overall, not just North America, oh and sniper I heard around the coffee table that he paid for his own hockey last year working a job all summer and during the season, while going to school to help his parents pay for hockey. How great is this kid.

[witness]

The Davidson story is an interesting one. Hockey is an expensive sport and not everyone can afford to spend thousands of dollars to put their kid through the triple A system. It is even more costly if you are living in rural Canada.
The local paper has done a good job at sharing Davidson's story. It is apparent that the kid really wants this, because nothing was given to him. He has worked for everything he has got and his parents have sacificed a lot to help him achieve his dream.
In a world of selfish athletes that think that the world owes them. Davidson is a breath of fresh air and you can't help but hope that he has success.

[Some_Arrogant_Jerk]

This kid came out of nowhere and made his way into the top 4, and now hes probably our 2nd best defenceman.

It just comes down to being a really smart player, and always keeping it simple. Leading the pats by a wide margin in plus/minus as well. Could work on his shot and beef up a little more but that will come with time.

Definitely a great list pickup, thats for sure.