Spring Camp comments

[patsdude114]

Thought I would make a thread dedicated just to Spring Camp this weekend, as I can see it now that both our Prospects and offseason threads having comments in them making it more confusing to read everyone's thoughts.

Myself I'm really looking forward to seeing Woods, Haden, Many Guns, Lockner, Schioler, Barteaux. I've heard that is Lockner was a Canadian kid he most likely would of been a top 10 pick, so there is a high reward if he signs with us. I follow him on Twitter he seems very excited to be coming to Regina for this spring camp. So let's hope..... Also lets hope after this weekend Schioler signs as well as I really seem him making a big impact next season... See him somewhere between what Hobbs and Zboroskiy brought.

I'm hoping they do some one on one drills along the boards, I want to see how some of these smaller skilled guys do against some of the bigger Dmen we got.

[RWAH]

my thoughts after today are
the tenders Paddock and Laidlaw are well behind Hollett and Chapman. Both much slower in the positioning drills and Laidlow half the time on the glove hand post did not get the glove and arm tight to the post.
Sillinger is very small and will need a growth spurt before next (2016) fall camp
Many Guns skating looked laboured (a lot like Luc Smith) but was as fast as most. Has a heavy shot.
The crop this year and next, will make for a lot of competition at training camp and some tough decisions for the coaches to make and some assets to trade. Hard to get a full assessment with just drills but looked like more players ready for the roster than spaces on the roster.

[patsdude114]

Just some quick notes on a decent amount of players. Lots to be excited for as the scouting staff have done a great job bringing in players with talent, size and great skaters.


Many Guns looked good out there, his skating I think is better then what Smith's was a year ago.

Lockner is a true talent and he easily would of been a top 10 pick had he been Canadian. He skates very well and has a great shot which is accurate and hard.

Ossman this kid just is leaking talent has such great hands if he can grow just another 2 or 3 inches he has a spot in this league without question.

Woods is still everything that he was at last years training camp, he rang a few off the bar as his shot has improved a lot. His strength is his IQ and playmaking abilities so we don't really get to see him at his best in a camp like this.

Schioler didn't impress me much during the drills, he is still a great talent but I think he is one of those players that shows more during games then in just drills by themselves.

Hollett by all accounts is ready to be a backup in this league, he moves so smoothly in the crease and shows such a compete level that will make him a star goalie in this league soon.

Barteaux has some talent there and skates very well, thought it was very hard to get a reading on him with just drills.... seems to be a common thing with defensemen since a lot of their game is normally physical and that first pass.

Sillinger this kid is a project he will be lucky if he will be ready at age 17, I see him following the same path as his brother Owen did.

Woytcke I thought for 6'5 this kid skates very well

Sandstrom & Ewert have really improved their skating, another year of midget and we could see both of these guys as a depth Dmen for us.

Freadrich I like his skating and puck moving skills, hes going to have to show a lot though come training camp if he wants to stick around this year.

Cox really impressed me today, he has really improved playing on a solid team with the UFA Bisons. He wont be on the team this year by any means but we could see him in the years to come be it with us or with another team, he is a big body and looking at my notes from last year's training camp he likes to hit.

Richards I think will be in the mix this year, I see both him and Woods pushing for a spot.

Gardiner has just kept improving each time I have saw him, I think he will have a spot on this year's roster.

Chapman I think he will be a WHL goalie and could be as early as this season just don't think it will be with the Pats, I'm sure some team will be in the need for a 17yr old backup this year. If we didn't have Hollett there could be room for Chapman.

[chopper]

Thanks for the updates guys. I wanted to get out today but previous commitments prohibited that, but perhaps tomorrow I will be able to. Can either of you guys comment on Haden? Phil says he looked very good.

[patsdude114]

To be honest Chopper I didn't really watch Haden too much, I took more notice to Lockner, Ossman, Gardiner but tomorrow my plans are to watch Haden, Holmes and Bruce a lot more on Team White.

[RWAH]

Hard to get a real good read with seeing only drills and I did not watch individual players unless they really shone or stunk. IMO Freadrick, Gardiner, Woytcke will all push for a spot on the roster at camp. Schioler of course but he did not look exceptional today (again just drills) Many Guns as well but like PD114 said his skating looks laboured but as good or better than Smith last year. may just be his size. When they were doing double drills he was as fast as the player opposite, just not as smooth looking
Did see in the rebound drill Hollett make a few (plays of the week stops) Really quick and 6 - 3

[patsdude114]

I enjoyed today's drills a lot using the power edge decoys as well as some really good skating drills. Can really see that Paddock is wanting to build the franchise around high end skaters as that's what the game is turning into now.

Here are some more of my thoughts on players...

Schioler... yes giving a little more on him as today he did impress me a lot more then Saturday's skate. His puck moving skills was IMO the best out there of all defensemen. His skating is exceptional as well, his 1on1 play during the rushes shows his experience (age) along with knowing when to rub a guy out (Many Guns) a couple times.

Many Guns with today's drills showing off more of the skill set with the hands Many Guns didn't disappoint at all. His skating is not an issue at all he has no problems keeping up and you can just tell he loves to stand in front of the goalie. This is the exact kind of player we need on our roster this season, if he shows any willingness to drop the mitts as well he will be a force as he gets more and more used to the WHL game both with experience and age. Him & Smith would be a treat to watch I think.

Haden today I watch Haden a little more then on Saturday and you can tell he has came along ways since being drafted last season. By no means was he eye popping noticeable out there but he does have a skill set that can play at this level. Do I think its going to be this year though... no I do not I think he needs a little more seasoning in Midget much like Woods & Elmer needed.

Elmer If Paddock gives him a chance to play in a top 9 role I can see him easily scoring 12-18 goals. If he finds his way onto the Steel line those numbers could jump a lot more, he has 1 heck of a shot that is deadly accurate and he has filled into his frame a lot more as well. A spot is his this season its up to him to run with it.

Bruce much like last year at camp he loves to get physical, by no means am I saying he laid anyone out today but he was hard on a few forwards in the 1on1 drills. He has a wild shot though always seems to be going for the goalies head.

Holmes I think Holmes will be in the mix at the end of camp for a 16yr old spot, but I think he will come up shy just due to the depth that we have. Could see him as a player who is the 1st to be called up whenever injuries happen. He has raw skill and as Phil said in his blog today he gained 26lbs as well as grew 2inches and is now 6'1 180...I just think Gardiner, Leschyshyn will be the 16yr olds up front this year.

Johnston I thought today he had a very good day, he uses his legs very well and looked very comfortable carrying the puck on some of the skating drills with the puck. Reminds me a bit of Williams

Coughlin he has a lot of skill and very agile on his skates, be interested to see what his height and weight is updated too once the Pats pages gets updated as he didn't look much no smaller then Leschyshyn.

Next time we see these kids on the ice will be training camp in late august, will be very interesting to see how some of them have trained all summer and see who pulls themselves away from the pack. I was talking to a friend last night and told him Lockner could play today due to his size and strength at age 15 and then today Paddock said the same thing. I hope Lockner comes to training camp and see how he fits they put the younger guys with the older guys again. He looks like a guy that will go to war and battle his arse off to be successful.

[chopper]

Thanks for the updates guys, well done! Unfortunately when you have a car for sale and waiting for folks to show up really wrecks your day..LOL A couple observations that may be regurgitation of what's already been said, but even at that risk I will repeat.

The scouting staff has done a great job of finding diamonds in the rough, either later rounds or listing. Missing a lot of picks has been tough to work around but guys like Holmes and others shows it can be done. Because of that our talent is as good as anyone's.

The mandate a while back was to get bigger and it appears that the organization realizes this need, and are addressing it. Edmonton was big last year and won the Memorial Cup. Oshawa was big this year and won it. There is a definite correlation.

The positive comments attributed to Lockner and Schoiler are good new to be sure. Now it's just getting a commitment. If they do I can safely say we will be a force in the very near future. Schoiler will really improve our D. Lockner and Barteaux are gold anchors.

Now the most intriguing aspect. The Pats have too many league ready prospects. They can't keep them all so without question there will need to be trades. They won't keep six goalies on a 50 man list. We have a number of d-men that are ready and yet we don't have the spots for them. Right now our top 4 d-men are set not including Harrison. If Schoiler comes we may have one or two spots at best. If Paddock adds a 19 year old d-man that changes again. What about Freadrich, Poteau, Bruce, Sandstrom and Ewart????

Example: If Freadrich doesn't make the club as a 17 year old he will likely want to play elsewhere in the WHL or the NCAA if he isn't burned. If Schoiler reports then Freadrich will be in tough. Poteau and Schoiler would look to be strong bets. If not, Freadrich and Poteau might be strong bets. It hinges on Schoiler. All in all the team has some real nice problems. There is no doubt they will need to make some trades to recoup picks or find some veteran leadership. Paddock has stated he is going to do that. Options.

[patsdude114]

Im writing books like Fight Guy now with these posts, so get ready to read :clap::groovy:


Thing about adding a 19yr old is that the entire league lacks quality players in the '96 age group. That draft was very weak and it still shows to this day what a weak draft it was, take away the elite 96's in Virtanen, Pollock, Point, Sanheim and a very select few others its a very low end age group in our league.

Im not saying Paddock wont find one but I'm going out on a limb and saying it won't be anything too special. I don't think Paddock will do anything before camp, I think he will try to fill the holes within our own organization first and wait a few weeks into the season and see how things are going.

I think we have a lot of question marks with our roster entering camp, not in terms of not having talent but in terms of which way does Paddock go with his number's situation. He wants to have a legit contender in the 2016/17 season when all our 97's are 19yrs old, as of right now do we have the goalie to do be a legit contender? Keeping Wapple all season doesn't do us any good for the 2016/17 season, does he give the crease to Brown as early as possible and fill Wapple's 20yr old spot with a skater instead?

Brown proved down the stretch that he could perform against quality teams when Wapple was getting rest. Brown is a battler in the crease and has some good skills. If he keeps Brown as the backup Brown is going to need to play a bigger role this season for the key season the following year as I don't think Hollett will be ready for that type of pressure but who knows how Hollett develops over this season and early into next season.

Once Paddock figures out what he wants to do with Wapple as a 20yr old I think the rest will play itself out. I know a few think Cooper could be upgraded but in all seriousness it seems very hard to upgrade a player who was over a point/game with us after the trade and had 7pts in 9 playoff games. Yes at times his conditioning didn't seem up to par to how we played but he now has a full offseason to get it to where its needed for us. Cooper can score when given the chances and playing with Steel he will get those chances and he will score. Cooper did seem a little slower in the playoffs especially the Brandon series, but maybe he was playing hurt something we wont truly know.

If we look at our roster at the end of playoffs take away all (3) 20yr old forwards we still have 12 returning forwards (list includes Elmer & Leschyshyn who I feel are both locks this year)... That doesn't leave much room for any new forwards but there are a few players who after spring camp I feel have a great chance at making our forward group, to me that list includes..... Many Guns, Woods, Holmes, Gardiner & Richards..... I think guys like Kroeker and McAmmond will/could be moved for picks/15yr old prospects to make room for the names I mentioned above cause each player brings something different but there is 1 common trait with them all and that's 'they all have talent to play this year'

Paddock (GM) and Struch (ASST GM) have a lot of thinking to do over the summer months about where they see this roster come fall. I cant remember the last time we had so many prospects ready to take the leap, its a great problem to have. With the possibility of 6 (Wagner, Hobbs, Gabrielle, Zborovskiy, Brooks & Berg.... could even possibly see Williams getting a rookie camp invite like Christoffer did) Regina Pats attending NHL Training Camps this fall it will give Paddock and Struch a little time to put the bubble players into game situations come preseason and even possibly the first week or 2 into the regular season.

[chopper]

One thing to keep in mind is that Paddock, the organization, and fan base want to see an improvement over last year. Last season the 19 year olds gave us our good start and allowed the team to continue on and secure a playoff spot and 2nd in the division.

If we were to take a step backward this season, and then think we're well positioned to win it all the following season would be a dangerous line of logic. We need to build but we also need to be cautious about getting too young too fast, and expecting to be a contender in 16/17. We have to continue a steady upward trajectory. It's pretty clear to me that if the Pats want to improve they will need to add two veteran players. Paddock's exit comments echoed that much and I'm sure it will happen at some point. He would probably like to have a couple good 19's but may need to improvise.

One strategy would be to move Wapple and add another 20 year old player which would only require him adding one 19 year old. Players the ilk of Uhrich or Folk could be helpful. Uhrich had good numbers as a 17 yr old but regressed in Saskatoon. Folk would have had better numbers here than he had in Lethbridge. Both could be 20 goal, 100+ PIM players. That is exactly what we are needing. A value added player of that nature can be obtained reasonably.

We need to have a measure of success this year in order to have bigger and better success the following one. We are very young and can realistically only add a couple 16's and that will make us again extremely young. In order to be a group that can win it all the following year, we need a bridge to help the continued winning process. One way to bridge this season could be to add a couple of veteran leaders, particularly on the experience, physical, and courage front. That allows the young skilled guys to play without the worry of getting their heads taken off. I'm sure the Pats know they need to tinker with the recipe in order to achieve the desired results.