Tipped Off
12-24-2006, 11:30 AM
Everett Herald
Published: Sunday, December 24, 2006
Room for improvement
By Nick Patterson
Herald writer
The Everett Silvertips had a first half for the ages.
A 27-5-0-1 record; a commanding 14-point lead in the U.S. Division; two wins in two attempts against Vancouver, the team that swept the Tips out of the playoffs last season; and the top ranking in the Canadian Hockey League poll.
So that must mean top grades across the board, right?
Not quite.
As good as the results may be, Everett has yet to perform up to its record. The Silvertips are not blowing out opponents, just finding ways to win. In one sense that's an indication of quality. However, it also indicates that the Tips are still a work in progress.
Offense
Everett has scored 103 goals in its 33 games. That ranks 12th in the league - though the Tips have played fewer games than every team ahead of them - and the 3.1 goals per game is a greater rate than Everett has ever posted in a season.
Everett has two of the top 13 scorers in the league in Peter Mueller (eight goals, 37 assists) and Zach Hamill (14 goals, 27 assists), Kyle Beach (18 goals, 14 assists) has become a dominant offensive player at the tender age of 16, and newcomer Moises Gutierrez (17 goals) has provided a big body that causes havoc in front of goal.
However, with the amount of offensive firepower at Everett's disposal, middle of the pack is not acceptable. Even more alarming is how little the Tips are producing at even strength. Take away special teams and Everett is outscoring its opponents just 34-26, a modest advantage. That also means the Tips are scoring just one even-strength goal per game. Everett's offense is far too dependent on its power play, and when the playoffs come around power plays are generally harder to come by.
Grade: C
Defense
There's no denying the numbers. Everett allowed just 55 goals in its first 33 games, a miniscule rate of 1.7 per game. If the Tips maintain that pace, they'll break the WHL record for fewest goals allowed in a season (125 by the 2003-04 Kelowna Rockets).
Everett managed the feat without a dominant defenseman, though the recently acquired Jesse Zetariuk may eventually claim that title. Instead, the Tips accomplished it by sending out three solid defensive pairings on a regular basis. The primary six of Zetariuk, Jason Fransoo, Jonathan Harty, Graham Potuer, Taylor Ellington and Eric Doyle doesn't contain a weak spot. As a result, the number of shots allowed is down, and most of those come from the perimeter. The defense has also helped out on the offensive end more than in the past, with Fransoo averaging nearly a point per game and Harty, Doyle and Ellington chipping in as well.
Grade: A
Goaltending
Those impressive goals against numbers aren't solely due to the defense, and there may be no finer goaltending duo in the league than Leland Irving and David Reekie.
Irving is on pace for one of the greatest goaltending seasons in league history. At 19-3-0-1 with a 1.55 goals against average, .939 save percentage and six shutouts, he's on his way to perhaps the greatest statistical season ever by a WHL netminder. True, his numbers are helped by the defense in front of him. However, he also gives up no soft goals, which allows his teammates to play with complete confidence in front of him.
The Tips surrender little when going to Reekie. Acquired specifically so Everett would have an experienced backup, Reekie's numbers with Everett are nearly a match for Irving's. That's allowed the coaches to give Irving the occasional night off, which he didn't receive last season.
Grade: A
Special Teams
Everett's special team have truly been special. The Tips rank first in the league on the power play, converting 23 percent of their chances. Meanwhile, Everett is second in the league on the penalty kill, killing off 90.7 percent of opposition power plays. The combination is easily the best in the league, and special teams are a big reason why the Tips are where they are in the standings.
The power play may not always be a thing of beauty, but it's functionally effective with Mueller bombing away shots from the point and Beach and Gutierrez down low to put in tips or rebounds. At one point Everett had 13 power-play goals in a three-game stretch. The one issue is that when Mueller isn't available to man the center point, the power play is substantially downgraded.
Everett's always had one of the best penalty kills in the league, thanks to high pressure on the puck once it's in the zone. This season is no different, and Everett has the depth to send any number of players out to kill penalties.
Grade: A
Coaching
This season always figured to be a bit tricky for Kevin Constantine and his assistants. With Cody Thoring traded, there are no players left from the inaugural season, meaning gone are the expansion players who had to fight for their very hockey lives. The Tips have substantially more talent now, but perhaps not the same desperation to play every shift as their last.
Evidence shows that perhaps those values haven't been completely instilled just yet. The Tips have not shown the killer instinct to put teams away after building early leads, and they've also had spurts where they slept through the first two periods only to try and make up for it in the third.
Another worrying trend has been a lack of discipline. Ever since its inaugural season Everett has been the least-penalized team in the league. However, Everett is averaging the sixth-most penalty minutes per game, and the Tips no longer receive more power plays than their opponents.
But the Tips continue to work hard most of the time, they adhere religiously to their systems, and they continue to get results despite all other issues.
Grade: B
Management
The subtle tweakings of general manager Doug Soetaert (and Constantine prior to Soetaert's return in August) seem to have served their purpose. The offseason gamble on bringing in Gutierrez as the third overager has paid off, the acquisition of Reekie provided a dependable insurance policy, and the trade for Dan Gendur looks like a steal. At first impression, Zetariuk appears to be a significant upgrade on the blue line.
However, the cost for Zetariuk, along with right wing Carter Smith, was steep. Right wing Brady Calla's career may have stagnated, and Cody Thoring may have been just a servicable defenseman. But both are high-character individuals, and it's rare indeed that the top-ranked team in the CHL trades away its captain (Thoring). It remains to be seen whether their departure will affect the team's chemistry. Also, while each deal has aided the team, the Tips have yet to bring in the high-profile, high-impact player who may be needed to put the team over the top.
The deals that sent goaltenders Matt Esposito and Chris Ward away had to be made. Both are just one year younger than Irving, and neither would ever have gotten ice time in Everett.
Grade: B
Overall
There are many indications Everett still has work to do. In particular, the Tips need to imporve their five-on-five play and their discipline if they want to challenge for the Memorial Cup. But even with high expectations going into the season, if anyone had offered up a 27-5-0-1 record, Everett would have taken it. And with certain aspects of their game yet to fire on all cylinders, the Tips appear to have the ability to take another step forward. In all, Everett did an excellent job of setting itself up for the second half of the season and the playoffs.
Grade: A-
Nick Patterson, Herald writer
Published: Sunday, December 24, 2006
Room for improvement
By Nick Patterson
Herald writer
The Everett Silvertips had a first half for the ages.
A 27-5-0-1 record; a commanding 14-point lead in the U.S. Division; two wins in two attempts against Vancouver, the team that swept the Tips out of the playoffs last season; and the top ranking in the Canadian Hockey League poll.
So that must mean top grades across the board, right?
Not quite.
As good as the results may be, Everett has yet to perform up to its record. The Silvertips are not blowing out opponents, just finding ways to win. In one sense that's an indication of quality. However, it also indicates that the Tips are still a work in progress.
Offense
Everett has scored 103 goals in its 33 games. That ranks 12th in the league - though the Tips have played fewer games than every team ahead of them - and the 3.1 goals per game is a greater rate than Everett has ever posted in a season.
Everett has two of the top 13 scorers in the league in Peter Mueller (eight goals, 37 assists) and Zach Hamill (14 goals, 27 assists), Kyle Beach (18 goals, 14 assists) has become a dominant offensive player at the tender age of 16, and newcomer Moises Gutierrez (17 goals) has provided a big body that causes havoc in front of goal.
However, with the amount of offensive firepower at Everett's disposal, middle of the pack is not acceptable. Even more alarming is how little the Tips are producing at even strength. Take away special teams and Everett is outscoring its opponents just 34-26, a modest advantage. That also means the Tips are scoring just one even-strength goal per game. Everett's offense is far too dependent on its power play, and when the playoffs come around power plays are generally harder to come by.
Grade: C
Defense
There's no denying the numbers. Everett allowed just 55 goals in its first 33 games, a miniscule rate of 1.7 per game. If the Tips maintain that pace, they'll break the WHL record for fewest goals allowed in a season (125 by the 2003-04 Kelowna Rockets).
Everett managed the feat without a dominant defenseman, though the recently acquired Jesse Zetariuk may eventually claim that title. Instead, the Tips accomplished it by sending out three solid defensive pairings on a regular basis. The primary six of Zetariuk, Jason Fransoo, Jonathan Harty, Graham Potuer, Taylor Ellington and Eric Doyle doesn't contain a weak spot. As a result, the number of shots allowed is down, and most of those come from the perimeter. The defense has also helped out on the offensive end more than in the past, with Fransoo averaging nearly a point per game and Harty, Doyle and Ellington chipping in as well.
Grade: A
Goaltending
Those impressive goals against numbers aren't solely due to the defense, and there may be no finer goaltending duo in the league than Leland Irving and David Reekie.
Irving is on pace for one of the greatest goaltending seasons in league history. At 19-3-0-1 with a 1.55 goals against average, .939 save percentage and six shutouts, he's on his way to perhaps the greatest statistical season ever by a WHL netminder. True, his numbers are helped by the defense in front of him. However, he also gives up no soft goals, which allows his teammates to play with complete confidence in front of him.
The Tips surrender little when going to Reekie. Acquired specifically so Everett would have an experienced backup, Reekie's numbers with Everett are nearly a match for Irving's. That's allowed the coaches to give Irving the occasional night off, which he didn't receive last season.
Grade: A
Special Teams
Everett's special team have truly been special. The Tips rank first in the league on the power play, converting 23 percent of their chances. Meanwhile, Everett is second in the league on the penalty kill, killing off 90.7 percent of opposition power plays. The combination is easily the best in the league, and special teams are a big reason why the Tips are where they are in the standings.
The power play may not always be a thing of beauty, but it's functionally effective with Mueller bombing away shots from the point and Beach and Gutierrez down low to put in tips or rebounds. At one point Everett had 13 power-play goals in a three-game stretch. The one issue is that when Mueller isn't available to man the center point, the power play is substantially downgraded.
Everett's always had one of the best penalty kills in the league, thanks to high pressure on the puck once it's in the zone. This season is no different, and Everett has the depth to send any number of players out to kill penalties.
Grade: A
Coaching
This season always figured to be a bit tricky for Kevin Constantine and his assistants. With Cody Thoring traded, there are no players left from the inaugural season, meaning gone are the expansion players who had to fight for their very hockey lives. The Tips have substantially more talent now, but perhaps not the same desperation to play every shift as their last.
Evidence shows that perhaps those values haven't been completely instilled just yet. The Tips have not shown the killer instinct to put teams away after building early leads, and they've also had spurts where they slept through the first two periods only to try and make up for it in the third.
Another worrying trend has been a lack of discipline. Ever since its inaugural season Everett has been the least-penalized team in the league. However, Everett is averaging the sixth-most penalty minutes per game, and the Tips no longer receive more power plays than their opponents.
But the Tips continue to work hard most of the time, they adhere religiously to their systems, and they continue to get results despite all other issues.
Grade: B
Management
The subtle tweakings of general manager Doug Soetaert (and Constantine prior to Soetaert's return in August) seem to have served their purpose. The offseason gamble on bringing in Gutierrez as the third overager has paid off, the acquisition of Reekie provided a dependable insurance policy, and the trade for Dan Gendur looks like a steal. At first impression, Zetariuk appears to be a significant upgrade on the blue line.
However, the cost for Zetariuk, along with right wing Carter Smith, was steep. Right wing Brady Calla's career may have stagnated, and Cody Thoring may have been just a servicable defenseman. But both are high-character individuals, and it's rare indeed that the top-ranked team in the CHL trades away its captain (Thoring). It remains to be seen whether their departure will affect the team's chemistry. Also, while each deal has aided the team, the Tips have yet to bring in the high-profile, high-impact player who may be needed to put the team over the top.
The deals that sent goaltenders Matt Esposito and Chris Ward away had to be made. Both are just one year younger than Irving, and neither would ever have gotten ice time in Everett.
Grade: B
Overall
There are many indications Everett still has work to do. In particular, the Tips need to imporve their five-on-five play and their discipline if they want to challenge for the Memorial Cup. But even with high expectations going into the season, if anyone had offered up a 27-5-0-1 record, Everett would have taken it. And with certain aspects of their game yet to fire on all cylinders, the Tips appear to have the ability to take another step forward. In all, Everett did an excellent job of setting itself up for the second half of the season and the playoffs.
Grade: A-
Nick Patterson, Herald writer