April 24, 2010

Jeff Angus

2010-04-24

 

Fantasy hockey question on your mind? Fire away! I’ll answer as many as I can today.

 

Dobber jumping on quick – Peter Mueller skated for the first time in three weeks yesterday. We probably won’t see him tonight, but there is a slim possibility. Extremely doubtful though. However, if the Avs force a Game 7, I think you can expect to see him.

 

Anton Volchenkov has blocked 26 shots so far in the first round, including 11 last game. Now this is a category I’d love to get in my fantasy league! Does anyone out there use it?

 

Ryan’s article on Kyle Clifford is a good read. I wouldn’t be surprised if he makes the Kings roster out of training camp next season, as his game is well-suited for the NHL.

 

Puck Daddy chats with Ilya Kovalchuk. After being booted from the playoffs, he is not a happy man. However, that frown will probably turn upside-down on July 1st. Where does Kovalchuk end up? I think the Kings are an obvious destination, but there are some other clubs with lots of money to throw around. The Blues are one.

 

There are rumors that the Kings may recall Jonathan Bernier for Sunday’s game. Personally, I would put him in as the starter, but it looks like they are going to sink-or-swim with Quick. Since the Olympics, Quick has been off of his game. He was fantastic in the first game of the series against the Canucks, but has struggled since that point.

 

Jimmy Howard has been fantastic for the Red Wings in his past two starts. I guess letting a goalie “rot” in the minors for five seasons is now going to be considered a viable strategy? I am far from a goalie expert, but Howard is fun to watch. He isn’t the most technically proficient, but he battles hard and is very athletic.

 

Matt Calvert, who I wrote about last month as a keeper prospect to watch, recorded quite the feat two games ago for Brandon. He had a shorthanded hat trick, all in the same period! He definitely bears watching as early as next season, as the Blue Jackets are short on talent and he could find his way on the second scoring line with a strong camp.

 

Calvert’s Brandon Wheat Kings got eliminated by Calgary last night in the WHL Eastern Conference Finals, but they are the host team for the Memorial Cup this year, so his season isn’t done. The Hitmen will play the winner of the Vancouver Giants/Tri-City Americans series going on right now.

 

Dobber’s 2010 Prospect Report – read all about it here! You can buy it now, and it will be available for download on June 1st. Support the site! Matt Bugg’s famous 2010 Mock Entry Draft will be included as well. The guide will be available in French as well! Check out the link for that verison here.

 

Mikael Samuelsson has 16 goals in his last 17 games, dating back to the regular season. He is en fuego!

 

 

Tyler Ennis can flat out play. Buffalo’s 2008 draft (Myers and Ennis in the 1st round) is already benefitting them in a huge way. Ennis is a lock to make the team next season and should be among the rookie scoring leaders. He sure is fun to watch.

 

Use Twitter? Follow myself (@angus_j) and Dobber (@DobberHockey) on it!

 

The debate regarding Mike Green for Norris is awesome. I have a toe in both camps – it is hard to give the award to a defenseman who often times struggles in his own end, but his production is awfully tough to ignore. How's that for toeing the line?

 

Why are the DobberHockey forums so good? For one, we have intelligent members who get out to lots of WHL/OHL/AHL games and give their thoughts. Here is an example. Here is another, as Zorro weighs in with his thoughts on the Manitoba/Hamilton series, including the likes of PK Subban and Jordan Schroeder.

 

Just to add further confirmation – Nikita Filatov IS coming back to the Columbus Blue Jackets next season. He says that the fact Ken Hitchcock was fired had nothing to do with his decision.

 

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Nick Lidstrom wasn't even among the finalists for the Norris Trophy. After winning in the award in 2006, 2007, and 2008, he finished second to Zdeno Chara last season. I have no problem with the three finalists, and I'd also have Shea Weber ahead of Lidstrom if I had a vote to submit.

 

Thanks again to the awesome sponsors that helped put together the DobberHockey Playoff Challenge over at Pick Up Hockey. Easton and Cool Hockey both stepped up huge with some awesome, awesome prizes.

 

The Edmonton Oilers have fired their training staff. Way to get to the bottom of the problem, guys! If I were an Oiler fan I'd have absolutely zero faith in Lowe/Tambellini – neither has shown any semblance of the competence required to build a successful NHL club. In Lowe's case, he built a strong team in 2006, but a combination of bad luck (Pronger) and poor judgment quickly derailed that team.

 

I read last week that Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson's father was upset with Tambellini because of a lack of communication – essentially he were confused as to what the Oilers were expecting from MPS. This came only a few weeks after Sheldon Souray absolutely blasted Tambellini for a lack of communication. This doesn't have a ton of fantasy significance, but the trickle-down effect from poor management to the on-ice product is obvious. Aside from Hemsky and Penner (and maybe Tom Gilbert), is there an Oiler you would feel comfortable owning in a one-year league?

 

Hopefully things can be turned around quickly, because Edmonton has arguably the best forward prospects in the NHL. Eberle, MPS, and either Hall or Seguin, as well as lesser-known prospects like Riley Nash, Anton Lander, Toni Rajala, and Linus Omark. I'll include Sam Gagner too, because I love his game and think his upside is very high – his production has been impressive considering the brutal teams he has played for.

 

DobberHockey reader Anthony L. sent me some very interesting information about Chris DiDomenico, a recent Maple Leafs draft pick:

 

DiDomenico suffered a very serious leg injury last season, and has battled back for the good part of a year to return to the ice. After suiting up with the Drummondville Voltigeurs late in the season for one last run at the Memorial Cup he’s been on an absolute tear (22 points in the final 12 regular season games, and 21 points in 13 playoff games). What Anthony brought to my attention next was the most interesting – the fashion in which DiDomenico has been racking up these fantastic numbers.

Here’s a snapshot at the games he’s played so far and how frequently he’s garnered his points in the first few minutes, and in most cases in the first minute or two of each game.

* In the vast majority of these games, he’s either set up or scored the game’s opening goal.

Regular season (Final 11 games)


In bold is every goal scored within the first 80 seconds.

game#1- Goal (1:19 into the 1st)
game#2- *Pts scored in body of game
game#3- Goal (1:22 into the 2nd) 
game#4- ** (Only pointless game this season through 23 regular season and playoff games)
game#5- Assist (1:06 into 1st)
game#6- Goal (0:49 into 1st)  & Assist (0:23 into the 3rd)  & another assist (3:10 into the 3rd)
game#7- *Pts scored in body of game
game#8- Assist (3:55 into the 2nd) & Goal (4:46 into the 2nd)
game#9- Assist (5 min into the 2nd)
game#10- Assist (5 min into the 1st) & Goal (4:46 into the 2nd)
game#11- Goal (0:58 into the 1st)
game#12- *Pts scored in body of game

 

Playoffs

Game#1- Assist (0:59 into the 2nd) & another assist (2:58 into the 3rd)
Game#2- Assist (0:34 into the 1st)
Game#3- *Pts scored in body of game
Game#4- *Pts scored in body of game
Game#5- Goal (2:07 into the 1st)
Game#6- *Pts scored in body of game
Game#7- Goal (4:55 into the 1st)
Game#8- Goal (0:11 into the 1st)
Game#9- Assist (4:50 into the 1st)
Game#10- Assist (2:14 into the 1st)
Game#11- Goal (0:40 into the 1st)

 

Mikael Samuelsson with an absolute snipe:

 

Rich Clune and Rick Rypien drop the mitts last night – Clune bit off more than he could chew here:

 

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Mar 29 - 19:03 BUF vs N.J

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