Hi

[Priceisright]

Hi, sept 2. Any news? Re the giants etc?

Is there any media coverage? Do the giants have a PR person?

Haven't heard boo from anywhere or very little.

This team will suffer in attendance IMO.

I'll be there most nights but seems glum to me.

[dondo]

Lots of changes this year could be a sign of a rough transitional year.

The push with the new coach and Bonner's preference for a more offensively focused product could find us on the wrong side of the score-sheet (if we get ranging too far from our end of the ice), or it could be a rejuvenation. Maybe we'll see some hustle back in the skates. I don't think we have gotten overly larger and are still gonna be relying on small skilled forwards for the offense. Losing Ty Ronning for 6 weeks to start the season won't help.

In goal I expected to see Kubic challenge for the job or at least the regular back-up position, but we have acquired another goalie as well as Lee.

I did not see any camp or scrimmages as I was out of town that week, so I really have no idea of who stepped it up and who to look for. Not acquiring a 20yr old D-man was mistake though in my mind. We need another Thrower-type if we are going to consistently keep the puck out of our net. I don't see any current D-man capable of a pure shut-down role.

Our OAs are very average and getting back Bellerive isn't really going to add a whole lot of depth. Sorry Matt, but I don't see it. Prove me wrong, please.

The only real wild card is the top picks we got - acquiring the likes of Benson, and McKinstry among others. The opportunity is there for these guys to step it up as 16 yr olds, but then rookies also make mistakes.

It really is a toss-up year and could be a positive rebuilding progression or a slide back. My gut is saying that unless we get a few players really upping their game (vets and rookies) that we are not gonna be much better than last season.

That said we'll be back in our seats this year and seeing how it unfolds. I hope it's more exciting than the past four seasons have been.

[SectionNDeserter]

Our OAs are very average and getting back Bellerive isn't really going to add a whole lot of depth. Sorry Matt, but I don't see it. Prove me wrong, please.Skilled guy, but strikes me as a player that is hard to motivate. Could probably be a 40 goal scorer, but only if he got traded every two or three months.

[Giantsfan]

I think this season is going to be a step backwards even though Toigo said he believes they could win the BC Division :crazy:

According to Scott Bonner they are going to make a lot of changes & will have to move some young prospects out to bring in at least two bigger bodies up front. He said that the Giants have to win at least one round in the playoffs so the kids get that experience. Sorry Scott but Kulak isn't coming back regardless of what you say I don't buy it. He doesn't want to gut their team the way the Blades did. I don't think they will be awarded the Mem Cup because I don't see this team being at all competitive enough to win it. I believe the winner of the Mem Cup is decided in the fall but I could be wrong.

This team is super soft. McClelland is the only guy up front who will drop the gloves on a regular basis. I know they feel Roach will but so far he's not at all interested. Sward & Houck can be decent players but both are too inconsistent for my liking. Foster has some grit & won't back down from anyone but basically they have a soft bunch.

As for the defense, well, so far Geertsen has been terrible. Maybe he'll get it together after he comes back from Avs camp. The way he's played I wouldn't expect him to stick around. His foot speed is ok for the Dub but not the NHL. Also, he's turned the puck over so many times.

No puck mover on the backend. None. No quarterback on the power play. Decent size but that's about it.

As for the overagers, Hamilton, Sward & Bellerive. I'd move all of them. It's pretty telling when none of your 20 yrs olds aren't drafted. Hopefully there is an upgrade somewhere because your 20 yr olds have to be your best players & both Hamilton & Bellerive are tiny. Sward can drive to the net & throw some hits so I'd be more inclined to keep him of the three.

Goaltending is as inconsistent as last season. Lee had a stellar game vs Kelowna then sucked bigtime against Kamloops with at least two goals were of the weak variety. Kubic has been good & from what I hear Porter was as well. To me, it appears another season of musical goaltending. I've given up on Lee (even though he played well down the stretch & playoffs) & I'm not sold on Porter or Kubic because I've only seen them in limited action.

This team is softer than last season, especially if they don't keep McClelland but I believe they will. The forwards are once again, smurfs & I believe they will struggle to score.

Benson has been the best player in the games hands down. I like what Foster & Stukel have brought & Popoff has been ok. Ronnings out for about 5 weeks, no loss as he's invisible most nights. Roach has good size but I don't expect him to see a ton of ice time if they are going to play a puck possession game as Ward said he will.

On the backend, it looks to be Osipov, Geertsen, Atwal, Dosanjh, Kirichenko & either Morrison or McKinstry.

As for Bobylev he's got good size & does attempt to throw some hits. It's tough to gage him at this point. Maybe after 15-20 games we'll have a better idea of what he brings.

[johnnyradiant]

Without actually checking numbers but from when I glanced at the over agers on rosters around the league over the years I thought a lot of the 20's weren't drafted, which was part of the reason they were around??

[Giantsfan]

When the Giants had Wes Vannieuwenhuizen he wasn't drafted but brought a physical presence this team sorely lacked. Same with Hunt.

Guys like Hamilton, Bellerive & Sward are easy to come by. None of them are great players. Nothing against them as players but I'm hoping the Giants can upgrade. I think at this stage, Popoff is a better player than these three.

I'm not opposed to acquiring a 20 yr old on defense as long as he's the best player on the defense. Guys like Thrower are never easy to come by but they are seeing what/who is available & for what price.

I'm pretty sure McKinstry is going back to midget or wherever he was.

[Priceisright]

Thanks for everyone's thoughts :)

I can never find much about the giants etc.

So I appreciate the input.

I guess I'll really find out once the first few games take place :)

I always think goaltending is key in hockey at any level. Hope we have that.

[Giantsfan]

Yeah, this is probably the best site to talk Giants hockey.

Yes, it's extremely early to say but I don't think they will make the playoffs.

Toigo said I believe October when teams find out who won the bid to host in 2016.

[johnnyradiant]

not making the playoffs - Is that because they still suck compared to the Giants of yesteryear or compared to this years players in the rest of the division?

[Giantsfan]

It's my own opinion. It's awful early to say but I look at the team they had last season & I believe it was better than the team this season. This team might be a bit deeper, but in overall talent I think they are worse.

Thrower was a HUGE part of the team. They went on that great run from Nov thru Jan where they got at least a point in about 23 or so games.
When they lost him to injury the team & Kulak struggled to win & lost a lot of games. I think Kulak went about 20 games without a goal.

The Giants were the 2nd worst in the BC division on goals for. Losing Franson & Kulak along with Thrower imo doesn't make the offense better.

I just don't see the improvement in this team that management & Ron Toigo talk about.

I believe the Blazers are rebuilding & will be worse than the Giants but I think both these teams will miss the playoffs.

I could be way off base. Bonner could shake the core by moving a bunch of bodies & one of the 3 goalies could steal games all season long. Time will tell.

[Knuckles Muldoon]

The Giants will make the playoffs. They'll be a 5th or 6th seed. The scoring will be better than a lot of people think. If the roster remains essentially as is, all the OAs (Sward, Bellerive, Hamilton) will each get 20+. Popoff should get 20. Houck should get 30. Foster will have a chance to get 20. Right there that's 6 guys...what the young talent like Ronning, Baer, Benson and Stuckel can get is little more precarious, but I don't doubt the talent level of that quartet at all. If Ward has the team playing a puck-possession game, then that will play to the strengths of what most of those guys are good at. It might be the right match at the right time.
My main concern offensively is that the D has a glaring lack of puck movers and even guys who can make a good first pass. I expect the forwards will need to play deeper in our own zone this year to coral loose pucks and skate them out. Not the worst thing in the world, but don't expect a ton of odd-man attacks, but the forwards will have freedom to take the puck and go with it. Should be interesting.

[Giantsfan]

I think you're being generous thinking that all three overagers will get 20+ goals. Even if that happens, that's only 60 goals. There is a glaring lack of talent after about 5 forwards & a real lack of a point producer on the pp. Sward & Houck are really streaky. What will Bobylev & Benson bring is anyone's guess. I don't expect Ronning to bring anything when he returns.
If the Giants play a puck possession game, they better have solid goaltending because I don't believe the Giants will be a high scoring team.
Last season they scored 234 goals for about middle of the pack.

[scrunt]

I think the Giants overachieved last season because of Thrower, and the season before that because of Morrison. I don't see Benson or anyone else providing that kind of bonus this year.

My wildcards:

1. Euros - without Don "Eur in the Doghouse" Hay behind the bench, the environment can only be better for the success of Osipov and Bobylev. Bobylev's size is promising but his stats are totally underwhelming (I have not seen any training camp or preseason games, so I am in the dark a bit). May he never be worthy of the nickname Babylev.

2. Arvin Atwal -- I loved his game in his first partial season with the Giants, but last year he did not show a lot of progression. If he takes the next step he could be a very good all-arounder.

3. Goaltending -- I was glad that the Giants showed loyalty to Lee last season, not because I thought he was a great goalie, but because it was a small step towards making the Giants organization less-unattractive to good goalie prospects by finally showing some commitment to someone. If Lee can leverage that loyalty and the "new" goalie coach starts to have a positive influence, that could be a big plus. However, there is a 50/50 chance we will have the same goalie musical chairs as before.


As for the playoffs, I think we will be in tougher this year: Prince George can't be crappy forever (how's that for a scientific analysis!), and Don Hay's hard-nosed approach may provide short term dividends by getting more out of less for the Blazers(for a while).

Anyway, my expectations are very low, so I am looking forward to an interesting season, win or lose. :p

[Giantsfan]

I like what Bobylev has brought so far. He's got good size & isn't afraid to throw the body. He's been involved in the play so hopefully he'll show some skill.

As for the goaltending, I think it's going to be Kubic & Porter with Lee on the outside. He's been out played by both & I think he played himself out of a job but I believe all three will be around for a few weeks.

Tonight's game wasn't a fair assessment of the Rockets. They had 7 regulars out at training camps which is why they looked lost all game.

[Knuckles Muldoon]

I like what Bobylev has brought so far. He's got good size & isn't afraid to throw the body. He's been involved in the play so hopefully he'll show some skill.

As for the goaltending, I think it's going to be Kubic & Porter with Lee on the outside. He's been out played by both & I think he played himself out of a job but I believe all three will be around for a few weeks.

Tonight's game wasn't a fair assessment of the Rockets. They had 7 regulars out at training camps which is why they looked lost all game.

Yeah, I was just reading the Province article on the goaltending situation and I'm intrigued. It would take a lot of nerve to go with an inexperienced 16yo/17yo combo, but I kinda like it. I always like when a coach has a lot of confidence in a player. He then has something personally vested in the process as opposed to just going with the known option. A coach's continued confidence in a player can enable that player to grow exponentially. Without trying to put the cart before he horse, this Kubic kid really seems like he might be the real deal. If he's good enough to be here in some capacity this year, then keep him and play him. But keeping all 3 guys for more than a couple weeks cannot be seen as a good thing, so a Troy G will have to bite the bullet on them soon enough anyway. And if Lee is sent packing, it's really his own fault, IMO.

[Priceisright]

any idea how many different radio stations the giants game will be on this year lol

it was musical stations last year?? I could never find the games, then gave up.

Hope the Giants have their act together this year