Brandon Sutter's playing time

[Rebel66]

I'm as big a fan of Brandon's as anyone but I was just wondering whether anyone thinks that his dad imight be playing him a little too much. I notice that Brandon is a team worst minus ten on the season. Anyone got any theories or comments on why that might be the case?

[hockey4]

Well, considering hes killing penalties, his ice time looks like more but a lot is shorthanded. His plus minus is low however he may be tired from killing penalities. Remember this is a rebuilding year and you have to play your young kids, we just havent seen a year like this in a while

[Rebel66]

Well, considering hes killing penalties, his ice time looks like more but a lot is shorthanded. His plus minus is low however he may be tired from killing penalities. Remember this is a rebuilding year and you have to play your young kids, we just havent seen a year like this in a while

Forgive me but I fully understand that this is a rebuilding year. I've been stating that all season. Just trying to get a little debate and opinions going. Brandon is a heck of a hockey player and I was a little surprised to see his plus/minus was so low is all. He is only a 16 year old and Brent is obviously playing him in every possible situation. It does bode well for the future.

[Tinner]

I think the tendenacy as a father is not to notice, and not intentionally, some shortcomings with your own son. It happens at every level, from dynamites to the NHL. Yes Brandon does get ice in all situations, some of it deserved, but I also agree with you, that if he were not the coaches son, his playing time would most likely be a lot less.

Rebuilding year or not, this is a typical father/coach/son phenomenon. As I have said in a previous post, "mistakes from trying are better than mistakes from not".

[WHL Rules]

Since I have only seen two Rebels games this season (on that crappy WHL Live Stream), I’m not overly competent to comment on the initial question, but I’d like to add two (general) thoughts.

First, I don’t think that the +/- rating is a very adequate way to measure a players effort and performance. I know it’s used as a tool, but how often is a player credited with a plus when he has nothing to do whatsoever with a goal scored? On the other hand how often is a player punished with a minus for an individual mistake of a linemate? That being said, it looks like Brandon Sutters +/- rating got worse toward the end of October, so it might be a sign that he is getting tired.

Second, IMO the Rebels under Sutter have a history of bringing their 16 year old rookies along very slowly (sometimes maybe a little too slow), since Brent seems to prefer older players (sometimes 18 or 19 year old rookies from Junior A). So it would be interesting to see how much ice time Brandon Sutter gets compared with other players in a similar situation like Alex Plante from the Hitmen or last season Zach Hamill from Silvertips. While I don’t know if Brandon is as good a hockey player as Hamill is, they have a lot in common. Hamill was drafted 5th over all, Sutter 6th over all. Both had a very strong play-off performance as 15 year old call-ups. Like the Rebels this season, the Tips were a very young team last season, and so on… So it would be interesting to compare them.

All in all I don’t envy Brandon Sutter for the situation he is in. Not only has he to carry the burden of a big name, he also plays for his dad. It’s normal that everything that happens to him will be met with bigger scrutiny than if the same thing would happen to other players. Just look at how many people, who most likely have never seen Brandon Sutter play nor have ever watched a Rebels game at all, complained on countless hockey boards (“Nothing like Sutter objectivity”) when Brent traded up to draft him. This is another reason why I really like Ice/Rebs trade. Not only is Brett Sutter a good player with a lot of heart, who will be a great leader for the Rebels, I think in adding another Sutter to the team, it might take a little weight from Brandon's shoulders.

[Rebel66]

This is another reason why I really like Ice/Rebs trade. Not only is Brett Sutter a good player with a lot of heart, who will be a great leader for the Rebels, I think in adding another Sutter to the team, it might take a little weight from Brandon's shoulders.

That's a really good point actually and one that I hadn't considered before. I really liked the trade from a Rebels perspective before and that only adds some extra credence to the deal.

[Rebrevs]

This is another reason why I really like Ice/Rebs trade. Not only is Brett Sutter a good player with a lot of heart, who will be a great leader for the Rebels, I think in adding another Sutter to the team, it might take a little weight from Brandon's shoulders.[/QUOTE]

Excellent point. I couldn't agree with you more.

[3rebels]

Too add my 1.5 cents worth, Brett has and will continue to be an EXCELLENT addition and I think Brandon might just get a little better with the extra competition from a relative. I still think Brandon is a good, hard-working player for the Rebs and has to shoulder a little more responsability cause of who his dad is, not 'cause dad his father is wanting it. Sutts ask his players to "WORK' and the reward is winning. :groovy: