Development camp - Blue & Gold scrimmage

[PromoTheRobot]

I don't get some of you guys , all the things i read of Grigs was that he did very much ok during scrimage, but still people on here saying he sucks donkey balls.

Not saying he did NHL ready ok, but all i read was he was on top 5 of performing prospects, and that does get my hopes up.

 

Rooting for failure makes you look smarter. Take 10 prospects and predict all 10 will fail. 6 might. So you are batting .600.

[X. Benedict]

 

 

It did sound encouraging and that is a valid hope coming out of something like this.

 

I sort of poo-poo any talk of franchise prospect strength and cupboard stocking. I've seen McCabe, Larsson, Ruhweedle, and Grigorenko play and the first 3 are lucky to get 200 NHL games. Armia doesn't even exist in my mind. That's 5 of your top 20....so I discount any excitement about the future. You have your Girgensons and Zadorovs and maybe Risto....but then to me it's just a bunch of filler and hopefully one of the Lemieux/Fasching/Carrier types ends up hitting big. Maybe you get 2. If you rely on solely building through the draft, you will always be building.

 

Having a stockpile is also about having trading chits to package for better players. With 15 legit prospects - if 4 make it and 6 are moved to get two Nhl players, you've filled two NHL lines.

[bob_sauve28]

 

 

It did sound encouraging and that is a valid hope coming out of something like this.

 

I sort of poo-poo any talk of franchise prospect strength and cupboard stocking. I've seen McCabe, Larsson, Ruhweedle, and Grigorenko play and the first 3 are lucky to get 200 NHL games. Armia doesn't even exist in my mind. That's 5 of your top 20....so I discount any excitement about the future. You have your Girgensons and Zadorovs and maybe Risto....but then to me it's just a bunch of filler and hopefully one of the Lemieux/Fasching/Carrier types ends up hitting big. Maybe you get 2. If you rely on solely building through the draft, you will always be building.

Plus more draft picks on the way. But ya, they will have to acquire more talent via trade or free agency.

[beerme1]

 

 

The regulars here have been following D camp for years. Good times and bad. So it hasn't really come to this. This is this.

 

Zen Benedict

 

This

 

To Drane's comments on Risto's physicality.

I loved the battle he and Lemieux had going on all night.

I loved that Lemieux targeted the biggest, best defenceman on the opposing team and went out of his way to make him miserable.

I loved how Risto reacted. He gave as good as he got and used the adversity to elevate his game.

I loved how after the game they embraced and talked for a long time going off the ice.

This is what this camp should be about. This is what I wanted to see.

 

And this are good representations of the event.

[LastPommerFan]

Having a stockpile is also about having trading chits to package for better players. With 15 legit prospects - if 4 make it and 6 are moved to get two Nhl players, you've filled two NHL lines.

 

Sure, if you're the LA Kings, but where has that gotten them?

[X. Benedict]

 

 

Sure, if you're the LA Kings, but where has that gotten them?

 

They are officially LAs fourth favorite sport now.

[Samson's Flow]

So for the people that went or were actually able to watch the game who stood out for u? How did Reinhart and Grigrenko do? Who was a player u didn't expect to be so good? Not much mention of Compher or Fausching?

I went to the scrimmage last night (and took about 30mins to find a damn parking spot). Keep in mind this is one scrimmage in July against AHL, college and juniors players so 'looked good' is a relative term.

 

Blanket statement is holy crap do these guys look huge compared to the 2012 and 2013 development camp. Risto, Zadorov, Samuels-Thomas, Girgs, Grigo, Fasching etc. all looked like grown men.

 

Reinhart. Not a very flashy player and is definitely at this point a pass first player. Was targeted all night by Girgensons/Risto et al but avoided most big hits. He looked like he was skating at half speed sometimes. It was easy not to notice him if you weren't watching for him. You could see the smarts when he was in the d zone he was almost always in the right spot and in the o zone he made some nice anticipation passes, but you could tell he would want to pass sometimes to where his linemates should be. He will be way better once he generates chemistry with consistent linemates. Looked like a teen amoungst men.

Girgensons Controlled the game tempo and physicality for Blue when he was out there. Clearly an NHL player playing against prospects.

Risto Dominant player at both ends of the ice. Made a huge hit on Reinhart in the first. He looked huge, smart, with a great shot. Most impressed with his offensive zone play. Basically what we all want Myers to be.

Zadorov So big and strong and has the flashy hits that it is easy to notice him. Not as dominant as I expected in the d zone as it looked like he was used to just muscling everyone off the puck in London, didn't work as well with bigger players.

Carrier. Great NHL ready all around game. Nice shot with a quick powerful release and while not as bulky as some of the other prospects listed above, still has size and uses it well to shield along the boards. Probably the best forward on the ice consistently.

Fasching Bigger verson of Carrier and very effective along the boards, but still needs some polish in college. Played well though.

Samuels-Thomas He was the largest forward out there and played a very physical game. Doesn't have the high end offensive skill that some of the other top prospects displayed.

Grigorenko He looked massive compared to last year. Now has an NHL body. Was fantastic on faceoffs and won some key draws after icings. Still a floater in the offensive zone and was not noticed by me until the 2nd/3rd period. His line as a whole (with Catenacci) was very efective, just not sure if that was because of him.

Lemieux. Type of player opponents hate and fans love and Buffalo has needed for a long time. He was chirping after every whistle and went after Risto with some legal hits and not legal after whistle cross checks.

Ullmark By far the best goalie out there in terms of rebound control and positioning. Made an amazing cross ice save early in the first. he should build off his season with MODO and is IMO our top goalie prospect.

Johansson Huge stature in net but still very raw. Just wanted to mention that he looked like a giant in net.

[SabresBillsFan]

Wow I understand some people's excitement of some players and disappointment in others like Grigo and Armia. Let's not forget a few things both were drafted in the teens and still need work on their games and off ice workouts to get bigger, stronger and faster. This doesn't happen overnight. Grigs should have never been rushed end of story. Give the kid time it's obvious he knows what he needs to do to become a player. Worst case scenario he gets moved for something else. People need to give all these kids time including Reinhart. I'm all about giving all these kids another year in their respected league and let's take care of the last year of the tank. 2 generational players don't come around every draft. I told people when they tore the team apart to rebuild it was going to take 3-5 years before we see playoffs. You have to give these kids time to develop. Guys like McKinnon don't come around and burst on the nhl scene every year. Be patient people this team should and I say should be exciting to watch in the next couple of years. I'm just wondering if Murray signs any of the camp invites to contracts.

Edited July 16, 2014 by SabresBillsFan

[LabattBlue]

I was at the scrimmage last night, but sitting only 10 rows up(friend's son wanted to be down low) which made it hard to see the entire rink. My observations(not proclaiming that players will be superstars or busts based on one scrimmage)...

 

- Grigorenko at this point entering his 3rd camp should dominate. Instead he was hardly noticeable against players who for the most part is older than, has more skill, and is more physically developed.

 

- Armia? Still waiting for a sign that he has a better chance as a top 6 NHL forward versus a guy who will end up back overseas in a couple of years.

 

- Late round 2014 pick Willman was pretty impressive for a high schooler going up against players with junior, college and pro experience.

 

- Risto looks ready for a full time NHL role.

 

- Zadorov looks really slow. I want to see him in preseason game action with speedy forwards coming at him. He seems like a player who is going to have to be positionally sound all the time, because he doesn't have the foot speed to allow him to recover from being out of position.

 

- Lot of speed on the wings in the coming years with Bailey, Baptiste & others.

 

- Didn't notice Compher much.

 

- Reinhart made one nice backhand pass entering the offensive zone. Didn't see much else.

 

- Ullmark was the best of the 4 goalies.

 

- Catenacci had several good chances in the second, but came away with nothing to show for it.

 

- A little disappointed that the majority of goals(I think 4 out of 6) were scored by guys without a contract just there as tryout(filler) guys.

 

- A lot of positives on Carrier here, but I must have missed it(like I said my seat location was not ideal).

 

- I know the 3 on 3 isn't real hockey, but I want to go down there on Friday and focus on the skill levels.

 

- I could swear they said prior to the start that their would be a shootout afterwards, but either they had a change of plans, or I misheard the PA announcement.

Edited July 16, 2014 by LabattBlue

[nfreeman]

Rob Blake today or... :)

 

Fair responses all. I just hate that it's come to this. We don't get NHL games in the winter, we get prospect scrimmages in the summer.

 

I let myself get caught up in Grigorenko fever at the scrimmage in 2012. The building was electric, fans were clamoring for jerseys. Not again. Not again. I just feel like we're being bamboozled here. Hope to be wrong.

 

By whom? The posters who went to the scrimmage and posted their observations? Or by some sinister Pegula force determined to...what? Let everyone in for free to watch a scrimmage?

[TrueBlueGED]

It did sound encouraging and that is a valid hope coming out of something like this.

 

I sort of poo-poo any talk of franchise prospect strength and cupboard stocking. I've seen McCabe, Larsson, Ruhweedle, and Grigorenko play and the first 3 are lucky to get 200 NHL games. Armia doesn't even exist in my mind. That's 5 of your top 20....so I discount any excitement about the future. You have your Girgensons and Zadorovs and maybe Risto....but then to me it's just a bunch of filler and hopefully one of the Lemieux/Fasching/Carrier types ends up hitting big. Maybe you get 2. If you rely on solely building through the draft, you will always be building.

 

Holy jumping the gun batman. Stamkos looked like he didn't belong in the NHL for half a season, and he's a significantly higher end prospect than any of the ones you listed. But you're writing them off? This stuff takes time.

[MattPie]

- Armia? Still waiting for a sign that he has a better chance as a top 6 NHL forward versus a guy who will end up back overseas in a couple of years.

 

My sincere hope is that someday, people will stop justifying players that come up through the Euro leagues with "But they play against MEN!". I don't have any problems with the players themselves, just that somehow the Euro leagues average age determines how good a player will be.

[Stoner]

By whom? The posters who went to the scrimmage and posted their observations? Or by some sinister Pegula force determined to...what? Let everyone in for free to watch a scrimmage?

 

By a franchise that knows 9,000 people (usually more) will show up for a summer prospects scrimmage. If you don't think we're ripe for the picking, you're ripe for the picking.

[TrueBlueGED]

By a franchise that knows 9,000 people (usually more) will show up for a summer prospects scrimmage. If you don't think we're ripe for the picking, you're ripe for the picking.

 

Knows? They had to open the 300s because attendance far exceeded expectations. But I wouldn't want facts to get in the way.

 

Oh wait, that's probably just fake PR to make us feel warm and fuzzy inside, right? :rolleyes:

[spndnchz]

I was there last night. It was ok. First off, people need to learn how to drive. My God just frigging park! I've been down there so many times I just passed everyone and came around the back but jeesh.

 

Most of what's been written I'll agree with and I'll add:

 

Passing in general: poor pass, poor reception. Passing to the guys wrong side etc....

 

Reinhart wasn't that noticeable like some have said. I watched him most every shift though and you can tell he has real hockey sense. Many times he was where the puck was going to be 5 seconds before the play got there. He had a few rushes up the wing, looking around, looking around, I can hear him saying to himself "Where is everyone". Also more than a few times the D had the puck behind the net ready to breakout, Reinhart got himself open and...... no pass, forcing him to circle around again.

 

Catenacci: I watched this guy many camps ago and was all a flutter with his sick stickhandling and fast feet. Last night he was slower than most. :(

 

Zadorov: Dudes crazy. He just buries people. Like I said last year, his passing still sucks.

 

Baptiste: This guys got some speed coming down the wall.

 

Rasmus: He's ready. Sick move in front of the net he almost put away. Good balance of hockey smarts and punishing hitter.

 

By a franchise that knows 9,000 people (usually more) will show up for a summer prospects scrimmage. If you don't think we're ripe for the picking, you're ripe for the picking.

 

Were you there?

 

If you were you would have seen half the crowd was kids. The reserved section next to where I sat was a whole youth hockey league (Niagara I think). I'm pretty sure they got invited by the Sabres. Had the VIP tags, got photo with Sabretooth and free food/drink.

 

The only thing ripe here is a chance for someone to bring there kid to a Sabres game for free (let's face it a kid age 4-9 think they're the Sabres). The normal 3,000 or so were us SabreSpace scout types.

[Stoner]

Knows? They had to open the 300s because attendance far exceeded expectations. But I wouldn't want facts to get in the way.

 

Oh wait, that's probably just fake PR to make us feel warm and fuzzy inside, right? :rolleyes:

 

Do you honestly think Ted Black and Terry Pegula were surprised by the turnout?

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

 

 

Having a stockpile is also about having trading chits to package for better players. With 15 legit prospects - if 4 make it and 6 are moved to get two Nhl players, you've filled two NHL lines.

 

We had to move McNabb, who was one of your top prospects, and 2 2nd round picks for Fasching and Delauries. I understand moving strength for weakness, but given that Murray said he offered 3 2nd round picks to 7 different teams in the middle to end of the 1st round and they all balked.....you are trying to turn red and green chips into black chips. So far I see a lot of red and white in the pile, a few greens, and Girgensons is a black. Maybe Reinhart gets the prize, but you better not miss at #2.

 

I still think you put yourself over the top with HOCKEY trades. We just don't have anybody or aren't near the point of doing that. You are relying on pure numbers working in your favor. Even if Murray is an average GM, that still puts you as an average team in 4 years if you get an extra 2 or 3 top 9 forwards or top 4 defensemen out of all the prospects. That's what's scary.

 

I don't think this is Murray's plan. I hope to see some hockey trades with guys like Myers and Hodgson. Clean the stink.

[nfreeman]

By a franchise that knows 9,000 people (usually more) will show up for a summer prospects scrimmage. If you don't think we're ripe for the picking, you're ripe for the picking.

 

Ripe for what picking? For picking the 7th-cheapest ticket prices in the NHL?

 

Do you think they're promoting the prospects as part of some con job? If so, why do you think this? Because they're not spending to the cap this year, even though they've done so (or close to it) every other year, not to mention the big checks that are going out for the Leino and Ehrhoff buyouts?

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

 

 

Rooting for failure makes you look smarter. Take 10 prospects and predict all 10 will fail. 6 might. So you are batting .600.

 

I predict all of your posts will be purely bitching about someone else here.

 

BOOM!

 

Batting .850

 

 

 

Ripe for what picking? For picking the 7th-cheapest ticket prices in the NHL?

 

Do you think they're promoting the prospects as part of some con job? If so, why do you think this? Because they're not spending to the cap this year, even though they've done so (or close to it) every other year, not to mention the big checks that are going out for the Leino and Ehrhoff buyouts?

 

Dude.... #BLUEPRINT???!!!!

[beerme1]

 

 

I thought everyone hated internet explorer, not just this site :P .

 

Agreed that Ullmark was the best on the ice, but Makarov didn't look very good in my opinion..let more than a couple easy shots trickle thru, and was saved by florentino at the goal line on one of em.

 

Makarov had a couple of highlight reel saves while he was in and I will give him credit.

 

 

Also not sure if this was mentioned but in addition to using a goal siren and whatever the song was, displayed on the scoreboard banners was a slogan. "Go hard or go home" I like that a lot better than #blueprint. Also on that banner was 90 degree and I have no idea what that meant.

Edited July 16, 2014 by beerme1

[TrueBlueGED]

We had to move McNabb, who was one of your top prospects, and 2 2nd round picks for Fasching and Delauries. I understand moving strength for weakness, but given that Murray said he offered 3 2nd round picks to 7 different teams in the middle to end of the 1st round and they all balked.....you are trying to turn red and green chips into black chips. So far I see a lot of red and white in the pile, a few greens, and Girgensons is a black. Maybe Reinhart gets the prize, but you better not miss at #2.

 

I still think you put yourself over the top with HOCKEY trades. We just don't have anybody or aren't near the point of doing that. You are relying on pure numbers working in your favor. Even if Murray is an average GM, that still puts you as an average team in 4 years if you get an extra 2 or 3 top 9 forwards or top 4 defensemen out of all the prospects. That's what's scary.

 

I don't think this is Murray's plan. I hope to see some hockey trades with guys like Myers and Hodgson. Clean the stink.

 

McNabb hasn't been one of our best prospects for at least two years. He was behind Risto, Zadorov, McCabe and Pysyk. So our 5th best defensive prospect. Whatever.

[...]

 

Also not sure if this was mentioned but in addition to using a goal siren and whatever the song was, displayed on the scoreboard banners was a slogan. "Go hard or go home" I like that a lot better than #blueprint. Also on that banner was 90 degree and I have no idea what that meant.

 

I'm reminded of the days when I dated Mrs. Sizzlemeister, before we decided to get married.

[qwksndmonster]

It just seems like Ghost and PA aren't happy with where the franchise is, and everyone else has accepted it. Yeah prospects have a higher chance of flaming out than becoming NHLers, but that's why we have a lot of them. As for this:

 

Do you honestly think Ted Black and Terry Pegula were surprised by the turnout?

:huh:

[nfreeman]

 

Dude.... #BLUEPRINT???!!!!

 

Marketing the youth movement is different from a con job that is based on marketing the youth movement.

[TrueBlueGED]

Do you honestly think Ted Black and Terry Pegula were surprised by the turnout?

 

Surprised by 9000 people showing up, compared to previous years? Yes, I do think they were surprised by it.