2014-2015 roster

[SectionNDeserter]

"Really solid" doesn't cut it when you're playing against 3 other league champions; you need absolute studs. I absolutely do not look at that group and say "We're good there, no need to address that." Not a chance.

If Sutter manages to snag some impact 19 year olds next season, it isn't really absolutely necessary for the overage players to put up a ton of points. However, if there is an overage player that is a top player in the league, that can be had for a reasonable price, I don't see the aforementioned players sticking around either.

Saskatoon's overagers in Memorial Cup year: Nicholls (47-38-85), Walker (33-43-76), Ferland (29 points in 26 games).

Hate to go for the low-hanging fruit, but are you actually using the Blades Memorial cup team formula as a measuring stick here? Did you watch any of those games?

We are talking about a tournament that is almost two full seasons away. By that point Bleackely and Musil will almost certainly be putting up those kinds of numbers (as 19 and 18 year olds respectively), and Pawlenchuk as well as a handful of others on the team could potentially be putting up numbers like that by then.

By far, the Rebels' biggest issues will be;

Goaltending: Toth has been decent so far. I could be wrong, but I don't think either of their current goaltenders is going to be good enough to start in the Memorial cup next season. Looking over all of the goaltenders in the league, there is only three that are eligible to play in the league next season, that are really dominant goaltenders, but they would be very tough to pry away from their respective teams, if they are not playing pro.

Defense: If Fleury isn't back, it is going to be a very rough defense to build around. After Fleury and Doetzel, the bulk of the defensemen that they return from this season are mostly puck-moving defensemen that are not very strong on the wall, or in front of the net, that tend to spend a lot of time chasing the puck around their zone. Strand has a ways to go, but he could develop into that 'Underwood' type player that they have been missing the last few seasons--but if not, they are going to have to look elsewhere for that.

[calcheyup]

The Blades lack of success was kind of the point; even WITH powerhouse overagers they got pumped. It would have been a bloodbath with the likes of Wyatt Johnson as their 20 year olds.

And I'm not saying the rebels necessarily need big scorers like those guys - that's not the point. But they definitely DO need higher impact players than the likes of Johnson filling their overage spots. That's a fact.

[SectionNDeserter]

And I'm not saying the rebels necessarily need big scorers like those guys - that's not the point. But they definitely DO need higher impact players than the likes of Johnson filling their overage spots. That's a fact.

Is it? Or would adding a handful of 19 year olds that can put up points, and retaining a solid hard-working two-way forward with good character like Johnson also work?

[calcheyup]

Is it?

Short answer: yes. That is, of course, barring significant and unexpected strides in Johnson's game. They don't need third line checking forwards occupying one of their precious few overage slots. This is the Memorial Cup we are talking about here. The implication that the Rebels are good to go with this trio of overagers and there is no need to worry about upgrading to play the 3 best teams in Canadian junior hockey, I think, just doesn't hold water.

[Moonergroupie]

Saskatoon had the talent and scoring but I think what they lacked was the coming together as a team. They were just a bunch of individuals that were thrown together. If the Rebels are going to upgrade their 20 year olds for next year, I would like to see them do it this year. That way everybody has time to gel and be part of the team....as opposed to being rental players.

Another disappointing game tonight. Hard to believe the team that played the first period tonight is the same team that bought into the system in the exhibition season and looked real solid in the first three games of the season. They were completely manhandled by a team that is quite a bit smaller than them. Medicine Hat made more passes on one shift early in the second than Red Deer made in the whole first period. All due to the way that The Tigers were using their speed to take away time and space, and get into the passing and shooting lanes. I find it odd that adjustments can't be made at the bench within the period to counteract the system the other team is playing. Half the grandmothers in the crowd could look at the lineups out there tonight and see how much smaller the Tigers forwards were and come up with the strategy of taking the body and wearing them down, and yet hardly a hit thrown by Red Deer in the first period.
The second, they come out hitting and completely change the dynamic of the game. Is this coaching, or the players not picking up what the coaches are laying down? I was really disappointed with what Maxwell, Johnson and Feser brought to the game.....which wasn't much. With how Johnson finished the year last year, and then come back supposedly a year older and stronger and have the same regression he had start of last year is going to be hard on this team. Was also thinking for most of the game that maybe we didn't win the Millette/Polei trade. Polei was awful. Made more tape to tape passes to Tigers than Rebels. Seemed to have no speed or hockey sense at all. Lastly, I don't care how good a team mate Fafard is or how good he is in the room, we could have significantly upgraded this overage spot for a 3rd to 5th round pick. I see no point in even having this overage player if he is going to play 5 minutes/game on the fourth line.

[calcheyup]

Saskatoon had the talent and scoring but I think what they lacked was the coming together as a team. They were just a bunch of individuals that were thrown together. If the Rebels are going to upgrade their 20 year olds for next year, I would like to see them do it this year. That way everybody has time to gel and be part of the team....as opposed to being rental players.

Another disappointing game tonight. Hard to believe the team that played the first period tonight is the same team that bought into the system in the exhibition season and looked real solid in the first three games of the season. They were completely manhandled by a team that is quite a bit smaller than them. Medicine Hat made more passes on one shift early in the second than Red Deer made in the whole first period. All due to the way that The Tigers were using their speed to take away time and space, and get into the passing and shooting lanes. I find it odd that adjustments can't be made at the bench within the period to counteract the system the other team is playing. Half the grandmothers in the crowd could look at the lineups out there tonight and see how much smaller the Tigers forwards were and come up with the strategy of taking the body and wearing them down, and yet hardly a hit thrown by Red Deer in the first period.
The second, they come out hitting and completely change the dynamic of the game. Is this coaching, or the players not picking up what the coaches are laying down? I was really disappointed with what Maxwell, Johnson and Feser brought to the game.....which wasn't much. With how Johnson finished the year last year, and then come back supposedly a year older and stronger and have the same regression he had start of last year is going to be hard on this team. Was also thinking for most of the game that maybe we didn't win the Millette/Polei trade. Polei was awful. Made more tape to tape passes to Tigers than Rebels. Seemed to have no speed or hockey sense at all. Lastly, I don't care how good a team mate Fafard is or how good he is in the room, we could have significantly upgraded this overage spot for a 3rd to 5th round pick. I see no point in even having this overage player if he is going to play 5 minutes/game on the fourth line.

Disappointing to hear. I'll be at the game tomorrow night and hopefully it isn't a repeat of the affair in Brandon, or this game, by the sounds of it.

[SectionNDeserter]

Saskatoon had the talent and scoring but I think what they lacked was the coming together as a team. They were just a bunch of individuals that were thrown together. If the Rebels are going to upgrade their 20 year olds for next year, I would like to see them do it this year. That way everybody has time to gel and be part of the team....as opposed to being rental players.

Ideally every team in the league would like to do that. The reality is that teams are accountable to their fans, and just won't give up good players if they think that they play for them for two seasons (and why would they?). Next season there will be a handful of 19 year olds returned by their NHL teams, and it will become clear to the WHL teams holding their rights that they won't be back as overage players, and the Rebels will move on them at the deadline, and pay way too much for a few months of their services. I don't like it any more than you, but that is just the way the league works.

Another disappointing game tonight. Hard to believe the team that played the first period tonight is the same team that bought into the system in the exhibition season and looked real solid in the first three games of the season.

Exhibition is exhibition. What you watched is 4th liners and 15 year olds thrive in situations against other 4th liners and 15 year olds that they wouldn't normally be in. It is a whole new ball game once everyone gets their players back from pro camps and those players are reassigned and they go back to 5 or 6 minutes of ice time a night.

They were completely manhandled by a team that is quite a bit smaller than them.

I didn't really see any manhandling going on last night, as the Tigers are not a very physical team. The Tigers were quick, made lots of quick short passes, and recovered the puck in their own end of the ice about a thousand times better than the Rebels did last night. As you say, things turned around in the second when the Rebels started taking the body on them. The Tigers looked disorganized on every shift where they were getting hit. Too bad the hitting had to stop...

I was really disappointed with what Maxwell, Johnson and Feser brought to the game.....which wasn't much.

With the exception of maybe Pawlenchuk, I don't know if any player wasn't disappointing last night. Johnson, Feser, Kopeck and Bleackley were leading the hit parade in the second, which was one of the few positives in that game.

With how Johnson finished the year last year, and then come back supposedly a year older and stronger and have the same regression he had start of last year is going to be hard on this team.

He isn't the same player he was before he had all those concussions last year for sure. But he is currently on pace for 40 points and leads the team in +/-, so I wouldn't put a lot of stock in one bad game out of 124. I do worry about his health moving forward into next season though.

Was also thinking for most of the game that maybe we didn't win the Millette/Polei trade. Polei was awful. Made more tape to tape passes to Tigers than Rebels. Seemed to have no speed or hockey sense at all.

Again, based on one bad game, in a game where every Rebel had a bad game? Bleackley made several bad passes, and looked like he was skating in quicksand for most of the night, and Fleury actually stepped in front of his own goalie, and looked like he drew his stick in and intentionally tipped in the Tiger's point shot in... maybe we should release both of them? Milette is a year older, and plagued with off-ice issues, releasing him would have improved the team. I am just glad that they got something back for him.

Lastly, I don't care how good a team mate Fafard is or how good he is in the room, we could have significantly upgraded this overage spot for a 3rd to 5th round pick. I see no point in even having this overage player if he is going to play 5 minutes/game on the fourth line.

I think the Rebels would be negligent to start trading picks this year to upgrade players that won't be here for the Memorial Cup. When he does start wheeling and dealing to improve the roster, expect a number of the current 15/16 year old prospects to be parts of those deals. This years draft will be important, as these will be the players that will be expected to prop up the team again when the rentals are gone and they have a very young team again. I do agree that they could definitely upgrade on a bad defenseman/below average forward though from a skill standpoint. If Sutter does eventually replace Fafard, I doubt it will be an impact overage player, but more likely a player that is still an upgrade, but more of a 'bargain'.

[Moonergroupie]

I certainly agree that Fluery and Bleakley had tough games last night but both seemed to play better as the game wore on.....with the exception of Fluery tipping the Tigers 3rd goal past Toth. I think both of them are still suffering from the being sent back blues so hopefully they get over it sooner than later.
With the exception of the Calgary game, where Polei got two goals (and one of them was supposed to be a pass that went off a Calgary defender if I remember correctly) Polei hasn't offered much. He started the season on the top line and now finds himself on the third line which is obviously an indication of what the coaches think of his play so far. Last night was unacceptable for a player in this league. There were a few times where he was a step away from the puck and the Tiger player was three steps away and the Tigers ended up with the puck. He was in board battles with players that he had 30 or 40 lbs on and he pretty much lost everyone. He should probably be watching tonight's game. There has to be more urgency and effort in his game.

[calcheyup]

Post-game comments by Sutter have been pretty much identical after every loss in the last year plus. Lack of urgency, attention to detail, inconsistency, mental lapses, etc. So it's being acknowledged on a nightly basis, yet it never seems to change. Honestly it reminds me of when he coached the Flames, where every night it would seem the club would be plagued by the exact same problems that caused an L the night before. Very frustrating.

[calcheyup]

I feel like there are other things I should be more upset by, but if that's the effort Conner Bleackley is going to give this team on a nightly basis, he can stay the **** home. That was insulting to watch. Guy probably didn't even break a sweat tonight. Toth, as bad as he sunk us tonight, at least is trying.

Don't even want to get started on some other who deserve a blast.