Next year's team (IMO)

Gone for sure
Brendan Gallagher
Austin Fyten (Ineligible)
Neil Manning (Ineligible)
Adam Morrison (Ineligible)
Alex Kuvaev (Euro will be replaced in Euro draft)

On the bubble
Tyler Vanscourt (Overage)
Taylor Makin (Overage)
Scott Cooke
Kiefer McNaughton


Forwards
Matt Bellerive
Dalton Sward
Cain Franson
Riley Kieser
Marek Tvrdon
Anthony Ast
Nathan Burns
Austin Vetterl
Jordan Martinook (Overage - Note 1)
Jackson Houck

Defencemen
Brett Kulak
Wes Vannieuwenhuizen (Overage)
David Musil
Blake Orban


Goalies
Payton Lee
Jackson Whistle

Incoming D-men
Tyler Morrison
Arvin Atwal
Reid Zalitach
Others

Incoming forwards
Carter Popoff
Thomas Foster
Logan Harland
Brodyn Nielsen
Others

Note 1: Assuming Martinook isn't signed. He can be drafted however.

Have to believe Makin is the favorite among the overagers in the battle for the third spot though he didn't do much down the stretch. Could see the Giants adding another overager (Goalie?)

Incoming forwards and defencemen are wide open as no one really has a spot set. There will definitely be a new Euro among the group assuming he reports. Gut reaction is a defenceman as the Giants appear to have three lines plus up front already.

It is another playoff team but not a team that will challenge for the division title or league championship.

Bonner needs to acquire a top flight defenseman & a legit heavyweight. They need tons of size & grit up front & I know they are also going to get a goalie. Bonner has a lot of work ahead of him. They have lots of picks but are they going to flip them or rebuild, a word that Bonner doesn't believe in.

Either way, there are a lot of players who were major disappointments throughout the season, Sward, Bellerive & Burns who was probably playing his best hockey right before he got injured. Number one priority has to be a guy who can quarterback the power play. Without that, the team will fail. You need a stud on the backend, as their powerless play killed them in the playoffs.

I don't believe for a second that McNaughton is on the bubble. He's going to be 19 & they need size & he adds some toughness. He played good in his limited minutes & vastly improved throughout the season. Cooke could be a bubble guy, because Hay doesn't play him. He brings more than Kuvaev, but Hay always played Kuvaev first even though he brought zero to the game. Won't miss him a bit! Kieser was solid but faded down the stretch, but did a decent job on faceoffs & on the pk. They'll need a lot more from him to keep him. Vetterl is a non factor pretty much every night, but Hay loves him. He reminds me of Lamoureux or Piluso, guys who are Hay's favorites even though they really bring nothing to the game.

Bonner will acquire a goalie but I don't expect him to be an overager like Morrison because Whistle will have to get action.

Vanscourt & Kulak were awful in the playoffs but I do think Kulak is a guy you can build around, while Vanscourt may be back since he's not an overager. I thought Zalitach played solid but safe in the playoffs & I think he will be a regular next season. Not sold on Atwal as I didn't see much of him.

They have some good young prospects but the question is, are they going to be able to make the next step.

Looks like the Giants are making a bid for the Top Prospect game or a game vs the touring Soviets. Should know in the next few days. Hopefully, it's the Prospects game.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Giantsfan

Bonner needs to acquire a top flight defenseman & a legit heavyweight. They need tons of size & grit up front & I know they are also going to get a goalie. Bonner has a lot of work ahead of him. They have lots of picks but are they going to flip them or rebuild, a word that Bonner doesn't believe in.

Either way, there are a lot of players who were major disappointments throughout the season, Sward, Bellerive & Burns who was probably playing his best hockey right before he got injured. Number one priority has to be a guy who can quarterback the power play. Without that, the team will fail. You need a stud on the backend, as their powerless play killed them in the playoffs.

I don't believe for a second that McNaughton is on the bubble. He's going to be 19 & they need size & he adds some toughness. He played good in his limited minutes & vastly improved throughout the season. Cooke could be a bubble guy, because Hay doesn't play him. He brings more than Kuvaev, but Hay always played Kuvaev first even though he brought zero to the game. Won't miss him a bit! Kieser was solid but faded down the stretch, but did a decent job on faceoffs & on the pk. They'll need a lot more from him to keep him. Vetterl is a non factor pretty much every night, but Hay loves him. He reminds me of Lamoureux or Piluso, guys who are Hay's favorites even though they really bring nothing to the game.

Bonner will acquire a goalie but I don't expect him to be an overager like Morrison because Whistle will have to get action.

Vanscourt & Kulak were awful in the playoffs but I do think Kulak is a guy you can build around, while Vanscourt may be back since he's not an overager. I thought Zalitach played solid but safe in the playoffs & I think he will be a regular next season. Not sold on Atwal as I didn't see much of him.

They have some good young prospects but the question is, are they going to be able to make the next step.

Looks like the Giants are making a bid for the Top Prospect game or a game vs the touring Soviets. Should know in the next few days. Hopefully, it's the Prospects game.

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Vetterl actually put up far better numbers than Lamoureux (in fact in half the games doubled the goal output. He has potential to score fifteen to twenty next season.

Better double check Vanscourt's birthday as he is listed as a 92 which makes him a overage. Wes brings far more and I can't see them keeping two overage D-men though if Martinook isn't back that might be possible.

Kieser slowed down point wise but he wasn't a big point man in Junior A so that is a bit expected. Still he put up Martinook like numbers in his first season considering only here for half a season. That is the key alot of these players will have to improve their numbers which one should do in following seasons.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by N.W. Bruin

Gone for sure
Brendan Gallagher
Austin Fyten (Ineligible)
Neil Manning (Ineligible)
Adam Morrison (Ineligible)
Alex Kuvaev (Euro will be replaced in Euro draft)

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Dont be so sure about him being gone FORSURE if the NHL locks out again which is to be expected alot of the 20yr olds who would of been in the AHL could very well fall back into the hands of there junior teams.

The AHL is going to be very crowded if this happens & to free up roster space alot of AHL teams could very well send the 20yr olds back to junior for another year. Im not sure if there will be a grace period where the NHL teams could reassign there overage juniors back to the AHL once an agreement has been reached if they have already been sent back... the CHL could really benefit from another NHL lockout like they did in 04.....

I wouldn't keep Vanscourt as an OA - he brings offensive upside, but his huge lack of effort in his own zone caused us fits down the stretch. I think Wes is a lock, but man did he disappoint me in the playoffs -- maybe tried to play out of his comfort zone. I am happiest when he focuses on defense first and clearing the front of the net - he's not fast enough to go for those low-percentage pinches.

We could get Gally back, but I think it's time for him to step it up a level or two. I expect even with the lock-out as a 20 he'll be playing AHL hockey.

I was not the least impressed with Popoff's audition as he should have a fair amount more offensive upside than he showed, esp for his size. I think he's the kind of player we need to begin to deal away -- smallish guys with minimal offensive flair. We cannot afford smaller players who are not willing to go to the wall or score tons (Gally was one of those rare players who did both). Ast covers this base and he has proven hunger, although he's a tad injury-prone so far.

Vetterl showed some good two-way abilities, but again I think we can get a bigger body to fill that role. I wouldn't be falling over myself keeping him, but he could fill a solid third line/PK role.

Atwal has some really nice upside and should be a hungrier version of Vanscourt. He has great speed and what little I saw some real offensive instincts you can't teach - his defense is what shuffled him out of the line-up.

I liked what I saw from Zalitach and expect him to be one of blue-line crew next season.

Kulak had a few bad games to be sure, but again I think it was a case of him trying to do too much and getting caught way too often. He's still a solid defender with some size and offensive abilities that make him valuable.

I'm looking forward to seeing where Foster fits.

The Giants absolutely screwed themselves for any goaltending future this season. Sadly they simply do not know how to develop young goalies. I would be surprised to see Whistle back after the repeated snubs he received and his lack of ability to step it up when he got the chance. had he stole a couple of games then maybe he gets another shot, but his only win was a shut-out. If they scored on him even once he ended up losing the game. He has skill for sure, but I feel he might have been ruined and his confidence completely shot after the insults dealt to him this season.

Don't be surprised if Payton Lee gets the same treatment. though. We need a solid 19 year old netminder and coaching staff willing to play a real 60-40 split. To get that it will cost if we hope to get some sort of real name. I expect an 18 yr old back-up for last year who is being pushed out by a young goalie would be our best bet for a good deal on a goalie.

Will Musil be back? I expect so as I don't see him close to ready to be an NHL D-man and Edmonton does not have the luxury of having yet another not quite ready for the NHL defenseman in their line-up. I see him getting the full 9 games before being sent back though.

I'm hoping to see some of the 6'3" D-men we have in the system be given a good chance to make the team.

Kieser will be 19 next year and has earned a serious look as a top six next season.

I expect Sward, Bellerive and Houck ( and/or Franson) will be getting all of the chances to play top minutes. The flashes I saw from Sward and Bellerive this year makes me think that maybe the responsibility is all they need to come up a level. I expect Martinook to be in that mix and be one of our OAs

Kuvaev needs to be gone. He did exactly zero as a "much anticipated" euro here -- no wonder two WHL clubs passed on him.

Tvrdon may be soft at times, but no-one can deny his skill and as long as he continues to get the points he'll be in the top six for sure.

We might see players like Burns dealt in the off-season, as well. I expected so much more from him this year and sadly we got very little. I also expect players like Nielsen to be on the outside looking in, he was too inconsistent for my liking and very often invisible as the season progressed.

There are a lot of question marks and we'll need to get a few surprises along the lines of Franson this year to be a real contender. It depends on the goaltending and offensive depth of real goal scorers and how our young guys from this season step up in the next.

Completely disagree on Wes. I thought he was easily the Giants top defenseman in the playoffs. Sure, he's not a top guy on most teams but he played great defensively, blocked a lot of shots & did a great job on the pk. He adds size & toughness & there is no question he will be the captain next season. Also, heard he is loved in the dressing room. The Giants need a lot more of these types.

Also, Musil isn't going to be in the NHL. He's 19 & not ready for the NHL. He can't play in the AHL so he'll be back & I expect him to log his usual minutes. I hope he plays meaner but he'll be a top guy & he should.

Kulak will be back & with lesser minutes he'll continue to be very effective. I believe he led the team in +/-. He was terrible in the playoffs but I think the extra minutes & the pressure got to him.

Vetterl is useless. I have no idea why they need a guy who can't score, doesn't hit, can't fight. They've had so many of these types & they usually end up moving them, usually they hang around much too long.

The Giants are adding a goalie & I don't expect him to be an overager. It will be interesting to see if Lee can earn the job over Whistle. I think I would like to see those guys battle it out. There may be some growing pains, but I don't expect the Giants to do much except rebuild.

For me, I saw way too much of Gallagher being pushed around & Morrison getting run at for my liking. It's time Bonner bucks up & acquires the toughest guy in the WHL. They can't expect Wes, McNaughton & either Makin or Cooke to be a guy who can take on these guys. The Giants were the most successful when they were mean, & iniated instead of being the ones being bullied. I don't expect any banners next season, but I would like to see them not get pushed around. Traber running Morrison & nobody doing anything about it is exactly what I am getting at.

Wes had some rough nights and was instrumental in more than a few breakdowns in the playoffs. As I said I felt like he was maybe trying to do too much. He is very good in his wheelhouse, excellent at blocking shots as you said and dominant in front of his own net as we need. He lacks mobility though and that got him into trouble in the past series.

Vetterl does hit and is solid as a two-way player.. is he indispensable? no. I think we have guys in the wings who can play that role with a bit more grit. Besides we always gotta have an "Austin" in the line-up ;) :P

I like Makin, but as an OA? hmmmm .. does not compute for me