French Collection

I like him a lot but I think 9 may be too early. He may be gone at 16 so it is a difficult choice. I would take Savoie or Nazar at 9 and hope Kasper is still there at 16. If Kasper is gone I would look at Yurov, Ohgren and Lambert. I really hope Kemell, Lekkerimaki and one of the LHD go top 8 but I doubt it. I would prefer a C at 9, even a potential C like Gauthier.

Prospects go to camps for the ice time, exposure and to network with organizations, scouts, agents etc… My son has been to a few junior team tryouts and development camps, hoping to make an impression but sometimes just to skate and learn.

Hard to say what was going on there. Weekes has been the first on a lot of stuff lately. His accurate calls start with the line “breaking news”.

Splitting and stacking firewood. I love splitting by hand, an old axe is a great tool. Nice cool, breezy morning but still sweat a bit. Mosquitoes were a pain because I was sheltered from the wind.

If they could combine VO and Asplund into one player, that is the guy that would be a playoff beast. Kind of like Lehkonen.

There are many skills that a captain could have, leadership styles are personal. They need to be themselves, but above all they need to lead by example. Whether it is practice, community work, games or meetings, they need to walk the talk.

I voted 4x4.5. I like him for 4 years, maximum. He will be pushed down the depth chart by that time and he is not an energy line candidate. He should score goals (20-30) and that skill is required to win games. If the prospects progress faster than expected, his contract can be moved with his production and skill set.

I find the ranges interesting. It is definitely not a consensus year. Nemec was as low as 2 but as high as 7 Gauthier was 3-10 Jiricek 5-12 Kemell 4-14 Lekkerimaki 4-17 Savoie 6-15 Kasper 5-21 Korchinski, Mintyukov and Geekie got top 10 consideration from scouts.

Bob McKenzie said that Slafkovsky got 5 first place votes vs 4 for Wright. Wright was third on 2 lists.

I hope it is more than a 7th rounder.

I used to love watching Nordiques vs Habs, what a rivalry. Dale Hunter fighting brother Mark Hunter is one memory. The first Avs Cup was pretty much all ex Nords players. Patrick Roy would never have been traded to Quebec though.

I posted this in another thread, the Avs have 6 of their own first rounders plus 7 first rounders from other teams. The draft matters. Depth matters in the playoffs, injuries deplete lineups and tighter checking can shut down superstars.

Keep it up, KA is a lurker here and the idea may kick in soon. LOL.

I looked it up and the 4 league/team format has been in place since 1972. It was an east vs west format before that time.

As far as I remember it has been a 4 team tournament. Champions of WHL, OHL and QMJHL plus host city, which is rotated among the 3 leagues. The host this year, Saint John, was knocked out early in the Q playoffs. They had been practicing and waiting since early May. They won all of their round robin games and got a bye to the finals. The CHL tries to select a host who should be peaking by the year that they play the tournament. That can be a challenge in itself.

Beauty tip. He got an assist on the first goal.

Nadeau scores on a tip to tie it up 2-2 in the second. He has a goal in every game of the Memorial Cup. Commentator called it a Pavelski type goal.

Olivier Nadeau with a primary assist on Shawinigan’s first goal in the Memrial Cup semi final vs Hamilton. 1-1 after the first.

Red Wings won a few this way.

As Bieksa said last night on HNIC, it is a copycat league so expect some deeper analysis of the Avs roster from the media. The Avs we’re the 31st place team in the NHL six years ago. Only 5 guys remain from that roster. My quick takes: 6 of their own first round picks. Big part of their core ( Makar, MacKinnon, Landeskog, Rantanen) and 2 emerging players (Byram & Newhook). 7 of other teams’ first round picks. Kadri, Nichushkin, Burakovsky, Johnson &Johnson, Cogliano, Murray 4 second rounders, all by other teams. Girard, Compher, Lehkonen, Aubrey-Kubel 7 UFAs, Nichushkin, Francouz, J.Johnson and Helm being the most important. Trades bringing in Kadri, Toews, Kuemper, Girard, Lehkonen, E.Johnson, Burakovsky, Manson, Sturm and Compher. Most of those deals were won by the Avs.

With the amount of picks, the lack of signed goalie prospects and with the uncertainty in net, they need to draft a goalie. This should happen every draft so that they get an NHL caliber one every few years.

I’m very happy for MacKinnon. Joe Sakic was a great player and now adds to his legacy with solid management skills. Congratulations Avalanche.

I had a supervisor who was 5 years away from retirement who said his goal was to do as little as possible and cut that in half every day until retirement. Great way to motivate your staff.

As you say, wants to be there. He knows the organization traded a big piece for him, he has worked hard to develop and has become a key component of an emerging group of like minded individuals. Using my Ben Stiller voice to say Do it, do it, do it!

Trots is from Dauphin Manitoba, a few hours away. PLD is from Quebec, his Dad coaches the AHL Manitoba Moose.