Sabres Development Camp Announced

[Doohicksie]

2 hours ago, Derrico said:

Apparently he’s working on his legs all summer to work on skating and positioning (maybe net front presence).

He said in the interview that he did lower body work with an eye on being more stable under check.

[WildCard]

4 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Notwithstanding a few incredibly flashy plays, based strictly on what I saw in Buffalo last year, Nylander is ahead of Tage.

They both have NHL hands and feet, but lack NHL engagement. Alex thinks the game at an NHL level - he moves himself and the puck to the right places most of the time. Tage does not.

It's just...the amount of astoundingly bone headed plays I saw Tage make was so frustrating. Dude was acting like he was playing beer league pond hockey with some of the stuff he was trying to get away with

[Derrico]

1 minute ago, WildCard said:

He can't skate, doesn't use his size, and has very limited hockey IQ. I get it's way too early to say for certain what he has, but Nylander is at least fast, has better hands, and has a good shot too. Tage barely hits the net on his shots half the time.

 

1 minute ago, dudacek said:

Notwithstanding a few incredibly flashy plays, based strictly on what I saw in Buffalo last year, Nylander is ahead of Tage.

They both have NHL hands and feet, but lack NHL engagement. Alex thinks the game at an NHL level - he moves himself and the puck to the right places most of the time. Tage does not.

Wow.  I guess I'm in the minority on this.  I know points arn't everything (but I'm also not going to pretend Nylander wins the 'all around player' category).

NHL Games - Tage - 106 games 10 11 21 vs Nylander 19 3 3 6

2019 AHL Games (including playoffs) - Tage - 11 games 8 3 11 vs Nylander 49 games 12 19 31

 

  

3 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

He said in the interview that he did lower body work with an eye on being more stable under check.

Good to hear.  This is EXACTLY what he needs to be doing.

[North Buffalo]

Could you imagine if TT, Nyls, andMitts take the next step this year and Cozens jumps in late.  You then have Olloffson on top line... and maybe Asplund up for a couple cups of coffee... then you have the makings of a team.  

[Derrico]

Just now, North Buffalo said:

Could you imagine if TT, Nyls, andMitts take the next step this year and Cozens jumps in late.  You then have Olloffson on top line... and maybe Asplund up for a couple cups of coffee... then you have the makings of a team.  

Wouldn't it though?  They say they want to draft and develop.  You've drafted, let's see you develop them now.

[North Buffalo]

12 minutes ago, WildCard said:

He can't skate, doesn't use his size, and has very limited hockey IQ. I get it's way too early to say for certain what he has, but Nylander is at least fast, has better hands, and has a good shot too. Tage barely hits the net on his shots half the time.

Actually kid skates well, his gazelle lack of leg strength gave him issues and remember he had a late growth spurt, so he is still getting used to those legs.  Lets see if that offseason gets those issues fixed.

Edited June 27, 2019 by North Buffalo

[WildCard]

1 minute ago, North Buffalo said:

Actually kid skates well, his gazelle lack of leg strength gave him issues and remember he had a late growth spurt, so he is still getting used to those legs.  Lets see if that offseason gets those issues fixed.

I disagree, I think he is an awful skater. He's fast in a straight line, kinda, but in tight spaces he is awful, and that's what counts in the NHL

[Doohicksie]

50 minutes ago, North Buffalo said:

TT, Nyls, and Mitts

If they fulfill their promise that could be like the Vanek/Roy/Afinogenov 3rd line in 2005-06.  That would be splendid.

Edited June 27, 2019 by Doohickie

[North Buffalo]

Just now, WildCard said:

I disagree, I think he is an awful skater. He's fast in a straight line, kinda, but in tight spaces he is awful, and that's what counts in the NHL

leg strength.. its the key and it failed him doing what he was trying to do... again some of that you can blame on late growth spurt the year before. Its amazing how much that can throw off your balance. Watch my boys go thru it going from coordinated to spaz to getting caught up to spaz again over the last couple years.

[WildCard]

2 minutes ago, North Buffalo said:

leg strength.. its the key and it failed him doing what he was trying to do... again some of that you can blame on late growth spurt the year before. Its amazing how much that can throw off your balance. Watch my boys go thru it going from coordinated to spaz to getting caught up to spaz again over the last couple years.

We'll see. I don't think leg strength will make him more coordinated with his lanky frame and therefore more agile in tight spaces.

I hoe Tage succeeds, but after seeing him in the NHL I don't believe he will. Nylander I haven't seen as much of in the NHL either, but at his pace he would have put up 32 points compared to Tage's 21 in 101gp, and that's without figuring in natural development or anything like that (yes, I know that is a super, super rough calc that doesn't account for nearly as much as it should)

[Randall Flagg]

I don't think Tage has a great shot, I think he has a ludicrously long stick because of his height which gives him leverage. 

The guy whiffed on enough one timer attempts and sailed enough shots way high and wide that I don't count the velocity that leverage gives him as "a good shot"

Hopefully he's honed that a bit

[dudacek]

27 minutes ago, Derrico said:

 

Wow.  I guess I'm in the minority on this.  I know points arn't everything (but I'm also not going to pretend Nylander wins the 'all around player' category).

NHL Games - Tage - 106 games 10 11 21 vs Nylander 19 3 3 6

2019 AHL Games (including playoffs) - Tage - 11 games 8 3 11 vs Nylander 49 games 12 19 31

To be clear, I don’t think there’s much separation between the two. They each have enough physical gifts to be top 6 players on an NHL team, but have serious flaws they need to fix in order to get there and I don’t know if they ever well. Neither has the game to be bottom six players without drastically reinventing themselves.

It is a demonstration of the risk tied to the “you can’t teach skill” draft philosophy and will be a good gauge for our player development program. Much-less skilled guys like Asplund and Samuelsson could easily have better NHL careers.

Edited June 27, 2019 by dudacek

[Randall Flagg]

27 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

He said in the interview that he did lower body work with an eye on being more stable under check.

This is good to read. Last season, if anyone approached him, the puck was a lock to wind up on the other team's stick 

[WildCard]

6 minutes ago, Randall Flagg said:

This is good to read. Last season, if anyone approached him, the puck was a lock to wind up on the other team's stick 

That wasn't because of his size and being checked/pushed off the puck. That was 100% a result of his poor ability in tight spaces and trying to do too much with the puck, especially in our own end

[Doohicksie]

But if he's stronger on his skates and not so afraid to take a hit, does that change his "ability in tight spaces" because he has more tools in his toolbox now?

[Randall Flagg]

3 minutes ago, WildCard said:

That wasn't because of his size and being checked/pushed off the puck. That was 100% a result of his poor ability in tight spaces and trying to do too much with the puck, especially in our own end

 

[WildCard]

1 minute ago, Doohickie said:

But if he's stronger on his skates and not so afraid to take a hit, does that change his "ability in tight spaces" because he has more tools in his toolbox now?

I don't think he was ever afraid to take a hit honestly. I just think he's super lanky and uncoordinated 

[pi2000]

33 minutes ago, North Buffalo said:

Could you imagine if TT, Nyls, andMitts take the next step this year and Cozens jumps in late.  You then have Olloffson on top line... and maybe Asplund up for a couple cups of coffee... then you have the makings of a team.  

Those 3 played together in the prospects tournament last summer and they looked great together.     My hope was they would play the majority of the season in Roch, growing together, developing chemistry, etc....  but that didn't happen.      

They have the potential to be the next RAV line, but after last season, I just don't know if that's possible.    Last year really seemed like a wasted year for all of them.

 

 

[Randall Flagg]

2 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

But if he's stronger on his skates and not so afraid to take a hit, does that change his "ability in tight spaces" because he has more tools in his toolbox now?

That's the hope eh?

[Derrico]

22 minutes ago, Randall Flagg said:

I don't think Tage has a great shot, I think he has a ludicrously long stick because of his height which gives him leverage. 

The guy whiffed on enough one timer attempts and sailed enough shots way high and wide that I don't count the velocity that leverage gives him as "a good shot"

Hopefully he's honed that a bit

Yes he does whiff but I'm hoping that aspect can be fixed.  Donno how you watch these and don't think it's a good shot.

https://www.nhl.com/sabres/video/ellis-breaks-down-thompsons-shot/t-277437090/c-66145603 (really like this one) (show me the NHL highlights of Nylander doing this)

https://www.nhl.com/sabres/video/thompsons-top-shelf-snipe/t-277437090/c-65408603

https://www.nhl.com/sabres/video/thompson-beats-sparks-to-tie-game/t-277437090/c-61218703

@Randall Flagg - Notice in the first video it's your boy Point and Vasilevskiy he pulls that off on.

 

Edited June 27, 2019 by Derrico

[WildCard]

6 minutes ago, Randall Flagg said:

 

I don't see him getting pushed off the puck there at all though. I see him not using his body, which he never does, and not make a quick enough decision in a pressure situation

Edited June 27, 2019 by WildCard

[Doohicksie]

11 minutes ago, WildCard said:

I don't think he was ever afraid to take a hit honestly. I just think he's super lanky and uncoordinated 

As one of those super lanky uncoordinated guys, building strength does, in fact, remedy the lanky/uncoordinated.

[TrueBlueGED]

The following obviously comes with a mammoth sample size warning for Nylander, but...

Tage is terrible by eye test and metrics. Nylander was better in the preseason and in his very limited NHL action. 

[Eleven]

59 minutes ago, North Buffalo said:

It is not a zero sum game... both have things to work on. Nylander needs courage... TT needs a brain... Both have it, they just need to see the wizard.

What a perfect reference!

[Randall Flagg]

20 minutes ago, Derrico said:

Yes he does whiff but I'm hoping that aspect can be fixed.  Donno how you watch these and don't think it's a good shot.

https://www.nhl.com/sabres/video/ellis-breaks-down-thompsons-shot/t-277437090/c-66145603 (really like this one) (show me the NHL highlights of Nylander doing this)

https://www.nhl.com/sabres/video/thompsons-top-shelf-snipe/t-277437090/c-65408603

https://www.nhl.com/sabres/video/thompson-beats-sparks-to-tie-game/t-277437090/c-61218703

@Randall Flagg - Notice in the first video it's your boy Point and Vasilevskiy he pulls that off on.

 

Because a good shot isn't having less than ten nice goals in a full season. If those were accurate representations of how dangerous his shot is, it'd be one thing, but he skies so many while waiting for those rare ones to come out that I think it's disengenuous to simply state Tage's shot is good. Stamkos can pick corners like that with that velocity....but the velocity is generated from elite form, not a 7 foot stick, and he is capable of replicating at a "good" (in reality, much better - elite) level. Tage is far more likely to take a shot attempt that kills his team's possession as it skies over the bar and around the boards than he is to be remotely dangerous. 

A shot with that velocity and "apparent" pinpoint ability from those highlights shouldn't be sub-7% on his career, but it is. Because it's not a good shot

Edited June 27, 2019 by Randall Flagg