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Thread: Pats sprinting down the home stretch....

  1. #51

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    I agree with some aspects particularly how valuable both those guys are to our current roster. Additionally whether we end up 2nd, 5th or 6th doesn't really matter. You still have to win in the playoffs. Having them healthy for the first round is the most important issue.

    A quality d-man has to be two things; a people mover and a puck mover. You can be both if your a big body, but you can rarely be both if your a smaller body. That's why most of the better d-men in the NHL are both big and mobile. Both Williams and Burroughs are key cogs in our defence, however I don't rate our defence in the top 10 of the WHL. The D is serviceable but not great.

    Smaller d-men seem to get hurt more often than the bigger guys. Last year both Williams and Burroughs spent time on the injury list. This year Burroughs has been out a couple of times and now Williams again. The season is long and the smaller guys just seem to break down more as the season progresses. When I look at the top three teams (points) in each conference There are only two teams of those six who use one guy under 6'. Stadel and Hicketts and mainly on the PP. Nobody in the top three of the Eastern Conference use anyone under 6'. None of those six teams uses two guys under 6'.

    Of the top 20 scoring d-men in the League only 2 are less than 6'. The only one in the top 10 is Honka thanks to his quick start. Most of the guys are 6'1" to 6'3" who are at or near the top. Neither of our two offensive guys even makes top 20. When you look at how championship calibre teams build their defence, the Pats might be wise to copy their foot print.

  2. #52

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    Our recent d draft picks are 6' or taller. I've been against Williams all year and I admit he's had a good second have but he still isn't strong enough, he gets beat to the net way too much.

  3. #53
    Join Date
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    Our defense has always been small as Parker never quite got it, thankfully Lang is in the process of changing things but it doesn't happen over night. Both Burroughs & Williams would be on other teams top 4 but would be more so #3 or #4 guys. Outside of Schacher really have no true BIG Dman, Reagan will mature into a big strong mobile Dman but he is still a solid year away from making a true impact.

    More so the real problem with today's game is there is just no respect on the ice anymore for anyone. Look at our key injuries this year 3 hits of resulted in injuries & suspensions, Williams just recently was a dirty hit as well I'm not sure if Derko got anything for it as I haven't had much time to look as I keep forgetting too. Part of this problem can be directed at having no tough guy, I mean not many guys are afraid to have to fight Stevenson. Yes pound for pound he is 1 of the better fighters in the league but he doesn't scare anyone if they have to fight him. You look back at when MJ got Cooke he's a big kid, can skate, hit, fight sure he's not a great 'hockey player' but he could of had a key role on a team like ours playing 4th line minutes & still capable of moving up a line.

  4. #54

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    I recently posted about the lack of respect some of these players have for the other guy. A three or four game suspension means little if your guy is out ten games. I haven't seen a suspension handed out all year that means anything in the way of deterrent.

    I agree that the Pats need to find a couple guys like Cooke come next season. Pound for pound Stevenson @ 6' 185 lbs is as tough as they come, however he is not a heavyweight. Moroz @ 6'3" 215 lbs won a decision over him the last time they were in Edmonton. Stevenson then missed two games with an injured shoulder. He is one of the few who has done a job for the Pats but they need to find replacements for next season. They could very well have quite a few younger, bigger guys in the lineup but need someone to ride shotgun over them for a year. After Stevenson perhaps Christopher but again he is even smaller. Nobody on our defence appears to be a genuine tough guy.

    IMO it's tough to figure where Burroughs and Williams would fit on the various teams depth charts. We have to remember these guys are big pieces on a mediocre defence. Brown was a big star on MJ's defence but he is just a piece on a quality defence in Victoria. A lot of the elite teams simply don't utilize undersized d-men. There is every likelihood they wouldn't even be on those teams. I think the Pats are heading towards a bigger defence and in fact a bigger team overall. Having two big centre like Luke Smith and Colten Kroeker is very encouraging. A lot of the d-men they have recently drafted were already at 6' on draft day. Many of these guys are puck movers. I think Lang and the new scouting director really get it.

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