Tipped Off
12-26-2005, 08:09 PM
Jury still out on Tips
Injuries and illness have kept the Everett Silvertips from fielding a full-strength lineup.
By Nick Patterson
Herald Writer
There is perhaps only one appropriate grade for the Everett Silvertips so far this Western Hockey League season:
Incomplete.
Riddled by injuries and illness throughout the first half of the season, Everett rarely was able to field a full-strength lineup. At times the Silvertips had as many as six top players out at once. As a result, the level of Everett's play varied widely based on who was available.
Here's how the Tips grade out for the first half:
Offense
Everett's offense is vastly improved over the previous two seasons. In their first 36 games, the Tips scored 96 goals, an average of 2.67 per game. That's significantly better than the previous two seasons - Everett averaged 2.18 goals per game in 2003-04 and 2.32 per game in 2004-05. The 96 goals is tied for 10th in the league.
Newcomers Peter Mueller and John Lammers were brought in during the offseason to upgrade Everett's offensive ability, and they've lived up to the billing. Mueller leads the team with 37 points (15 goals, 22 assists), tops among WHL rookies, and Lammers is second on the team with 35 points (17 goals, 18 assists).
Both Mueller and Lammers could have better numbers if their linemates stayed healthy. Mueller was just beginning to form a good understanding with Torrie Wheat when Wheat (nine goals, five assists in 15 games) suffered a knee injury that kept him out for six weeks, and Lammers forged a strong partnership with Zach Hamill (five goals, 12 assists in 18 games) until Hamill was struck by a bout of mononucleosis that kept him out six weeks. The offense slipped with Wheat and Hamill out.
With Everett expected to be back to full strength shortly after the Christmas break, the Tips should be back to having two formidable scoring lines.
Grade: B
Defense
Ever since its inception, Everett has made its name with its defense. The numbers appear to indicate the Tips are getting the job done again. Everett is third in the league in fewest goals allowed with 80, an average of a meager 2.22 per game.
However, Everett's defense has not been up to the standards set the previous two seasons. With five defensemen aged 17 or younger, the Tips are fielding their youngest defense in franchise history, and that inexperience has helped opponents accumulate large numbers of quality scoring chances. Even the ever-dependable Shaun Heshka went through a brief rash of costly mistakes.
Despite his short slump, Heshka has emerged as a quality No. 1 defenseman, and he's currently tied for second in the league in scoring among defensemen with 30 points (seven goals, 23 assists). The Tips have yet to find either Heshka or Everett's other experienced veteran, Cody Thoring, a regular partner. Newcomer Jason Fransoo has provided some quality minutes and Graham Potuer, given more opportunities because of Everett's injuries, has proven up to the task.
Grade: C
Goaltending
One of the beliefs within the WHL is a team can't win with a 17-year-old goaltender. Leland Irving is doing everything he can to dispel that notion.
Irving has been a workhorse in goal for Everett, starting all but two of the Tips' games so far, and he's second in the league in minutes played. His numbers are outstanding. He currently ranks third in the league in wins with 19, fourth in goals against average at 1.97 and third in save percentage at .924. Those numbers are essentially the same as Jeff Harvey had two seasons ago and Michael Wall had last season as standout Everett goaltenders, and Irving hasn't been guarded nearly as well as either Harvey or Wall. The only knocks on Irving are he's not quite the shutdown third-period goalie Harvey was, and he's not the most adept stickhandler.
Backup Matt Esposito barely got a whiff of the ice in the first half, but when he did he played well. He's 2-1-1 with a 1.68 goals against average and .928 save percentage.
Grade: A-
Special Teams
Nothing has fluctuated more with Everett's injuries than the Tips' special teams.
Everett's power play has been like day and night. When the Tips were at full strength their power play was a thing of beauty, early in the season scoring at nearly a 30-percent clip. But when key players were unavailable, Everett's power play became painful to watch, sometimes giving up more good scoring chances than it created. The power play bounced back toward the end of the first half, thanks to having Wheat, Mueller and Heshka all healthy, and Everett pulled its ranking back to eighth in the league at 18.3 percent.
As for the penalty killing, most teams would be happy with ranking fifth in the league at a .868 percentage. However, this is the team that ranked first in the entire Canadian Hockey League in penalty killing last season, so those numbers are not up to expectations. Everett's inexperience on defense is one drawback, and the loss of top penalty-killing forwards Wheat and Hamill for significant time forced inexperienced forwards into penalty-killing duty as well. Like the power play, Everett's penalty kill snapped back late in the first half.
Grade: B-
Coaching
Everett coach Kevin Constantine has resembled a circus performer with the way he's had to juggle lineups. He already had to call up 15-year-old forwards Kyle Beach and Matt Ius, as well as 16-year-old defenseman Mike Alexander twice, just to field full lineups.
Everett continues to be well disciplined as the Tips are on track to have the fewest penalty minutes in the league for the third straight season.
Motivation has been a more-difficult task for the coaches than in previous seasons - no longer does Everett have a roster full of players left exposed in the Expansion Draft who feel they have something to prove - and Constantine has at times questioned the Tips' effort. However, even during Everett's seven-game losing streak, the Tips were in the games, which hasn't always been the case for other teams in the conference going through similar slides.
Constantine's penchant for pulling his goaltender early when behind has backfired as Everett has been burned for several empty-net goals with substantial time remaining on the clock.
Grade: B+
Overall
This was supposed to be a transitional season for Everett, with its talented 1988-born class learning how to carry a team in anticipation of strong runs at the Memorial Cup the following two seasons. Add in the worst injury crisis in franchise history and it would be easy to dismiss this season's results in favor of building for the future.
However, Everett has weathered the injury storm and finds itself in the command position within the division. Admittedly, the U.S. Division isn't exactly lighting the WHL on fire, and any team from the B.C. Division would present a major challenge in the playoffs. But if the Tips can stay healthy, there's a chance they could make some of those major playoff waves a little earlier than originally scheduled.
Grade: B
Injuries and illness have kept the Everett Silvertips from fielding a full-strength lineup.
By Nick Patterson
Herald Writer
There is perhaps only one appropriate grade for the Everett Silvertips so far this Western Hockey League season:
Incomplete.
Riddled by injuries and illness throughout the first half of the season, Everett rarely was able to field a full-strength lineup. At times the Silvertips had as many as six top players out at once. As a result, the level of Everett's play varied widely based on who was available.
Here's how the Tips grade out for the first half:
Offense
Everett's offense is vastly improved over the previous two seasons. In their first 36 games, the Tips scored 96 goals, an average of 2.67 per game. That's significantly better than the previous two seasons - Everett averaged 2.18 goals per game in 2003-04 and 2.32 per game in 2004-05. The 96 goals is tied for 10th in the league.
Newcomers Peter Mueller and John Lammers were brought in during the offseason to upgrade Everett's offensive ability, and they've lived up to the billing. Mueller leads the team with 37 points (15 goals, 22 assists), tops among WHL rookies, and Lammers is second on the team with 35 points (17 goals, 18 assists).
Both Mueller and Lammers could have better numbers if their linemates stayed healthy. Mueller was just beginning to form a good understanding with Torrie Wheat when Wheat (nine goals, five assists in 15 games) suffered a knee injury that kept him out for six weeks, and Lammers forged a strong partnership with Zach Hamill (five goals, 12 assists in 18 games) until Hamill was struck by a bout of mononucleosis that kept him out six weeks. The offense slipped with Wheat and Hamill out.
With Everett expected to be back to full strength shortly after the Christmas break, the Tips should be back to having two formidable scoring lines.
Grade: B
Defense
Ever since its inception, Everett has made its name with its defense. The numbers appear to indicate the Tips are getting the job done again. Everett is third in the league in fewest goals allowed with 80, an average of a meager 2.22 per game.
However, Everett's defense has not been up to the standards set the previous two seasons. With five defensemen aged 17 or younger, the Tips are fielding their youngest defense in franchise history, and that inexperience has helped opponents accumulate large numbers of quality scoring chances. Even the ever-dependable Shaun Heshka went through a brief rash of costly mistakes.
Despite his short slump, Heshka has emerged as a quality No. 1 defenseman, and he's currently tied for second in the league in scoring among defensemen with 30 points (seven goals, 23 assists). The Tips have yet to find either Heshka or Everett's other experienced veteran, Cody Thoring, a regular partner. Newcomer Jason Fransoo has provided some quality minutes and Graham Potuer, given more opportunities because of Everett's injuries, has proven up to the task.
Grade: C
Goaltending
One of the beliefs within the WHL is a team can't win with a 17-year-old goaltender. Leland Irving is doing everything he can to dispel that notion.
Irving has been a workhorse in goal for Everett, starting all but two of the Tips' games so far, and he's second in the league in minutes played. His numbers are outstanding. He currently ranks third in the league in wins with 19, fourth in goals against average at 1.97 and third in save percentage at .924. Those numbers are essentially the same as Jeff Harvey had two seasons ago and Michael Wall had last season as standout Everett goaltenders, and Irving hasn't been guarded nearly as well as either Harvey or Wall. The only knocks on Irving are he's not quite the shutdown third-period goalie Harvey was, and he's not the most adept stickhandler.
Backup Matt Esposito barely got a whiff of the ice in the first half, but when he did he played well. He's 2-1-1 with a 1.68 goals against average and .928 save percentage.
Grade: A-
Special Teams
Nothing has fluctuated more with Everett's injuries than the Tips' special teams.
Everett's power play has been like day and night. When the Tips were at full strength their power play was a thing of beauty, early in the season scoring at nearly a 30-percent clip. But when key players were unavailable, Everett's power play became painful to watch, sometimes giving up more good scoring chances than it created. The power play bounced back toward the end of the first half, thanks to having Wheat, Mueller and Heshka all healthy, and Everett pulled its ranking back to eighth in the league at 18.3 percent.
As for the penalty killing, most teams would be happy with ranking fifth in the league at a .868 percentage. However, this is the team that ranked first in the entire Canadian Hockey League in penalty killing last season, so those numbers are not up to expectations. Everett's inexperience on defense is one drawback, and the loss of top penalty-killing forwards Wheat and Hamill for significant time forced inexperienced forwards into penalty-killing duty as well. Like the power play, Everett's penalty kill snapped back late in the first half.
Grade: B-
Coaching
Everett coach Kevin Constantine has resembled a circus performer with the way he's had to juggle lineups. He already had to call up 15-year-old forwards Kyle Beach and Matt Ius, as well as 16-year-old defenseman Mike Alexander twice, just to field full lineups.
Everett continues to be well disciplined as the Tips are on track to have the fewest penalty minutes in the league for the third straight season.
Motivation has been a more-difficult task for the coaches than in previous seasons - no longer does Everett have a roster full of players left exposed in the Expansion Draft who feel they have something to prove - and Constantine has at times questioned the Tips' effort. However, even during Everett's seven-game losing streak, the Tips were in the games, which hasn't always been the case for other teams in the conference going through similar slides.
Constantine's penchant for pulling his goaltender early when behind has backfired as Everett has been burned for several empty-net goals with substantial time remaining on the clock.
Grade: B+
Overall
This was supposed to be a transitional season for Everett, with its talented 1988-born class learning how to carry a team in anticipation of strong runs at the Memorial Cup the following two seasons. Add in the worst injury crisis in franchise history and it would be easy to dismiss this season's results in favor of building for the future.
However, Everett has weathered the injury storm and finds itself in the command position within the division. Admittedly, the U.S. Division isn't exactly lighting the WHL on fire, and any team from the B.C. Division would present a major challenge in the playoffs. But if the Tips can stay healthy, there's a chance they could make some of those major playoff waves a little earlier than originally scheduled.
Grade: B