June 1, 2015
Ian Gooding
2015-06-01
Dobber here – the Fantasy Prospects Report is available now. You can pick it up in your Downloads at that time. Buy it here. Or get that and all my guides for $10 via the Draft Kings deal (here). A quick note on the Draft Kings deal – make sure that you are also registered here on DobberHockey, otherwise there won’t be any place I can put your downloads. Five people are on my list who did the Draft Kings deal, but are not signed up at DobberHockey. Double check that you’re signed up (by seeing if there is something in your Downloads)
***
Oshawa wins Memorial Cup in OT, Stanley Cup Final preview, and more…
It turned out to be an NHL-like defensive struggle between two teams strong in that area. In the end, it was the OHL champion Oshawa Generals who took home the trophy for the top junior team, defeating the WHL champion Kelowna Rockets 2-1 in overtime. The difference makers for the Generals were 2015 draft eligible Anthony Cirelli, who scored both Generals' goals; and goalie Ken Appleby, who stopped 37 of 38 shots.
Hats off to the Rockets for what was an outstanding season. In spite of losing this game, Kelowna appeared to be the better team for much of the game, outshooting the Generals 38-24 in regulation and 38-26 overall. This one has to sting for the fine city of Kelowna, where I lived for a couple of years. I'm surprised that I didn't go to more Rockets' games when I lived there, although at the time I was more of a fan of their main rival the Kamloops Blazers. (Since I've settled into the Lower Mainland, the Vancouver Giants have become my favorite WHL team.) I did, however, attend the first Rockets' game ever played at their current arena, Prospera Place. Kelowna is a very popular summer home for many NHLers because of its hot weather and proximity to wineries and Lake Okanagan, which is one of the most popular tourist destinations in all of Canada.
The acquisition of Leon Draisaitl seemed to be the real difference maker for the Rockets as far as making it out of the WHL (or the Dub, as we call it out here). Floundering in Edmonton with limited icetime and not permitted by Craig MacTavish to attend the World Junior Championship, Draisaitl was acquired by the Rockets from the lowly Prince Albert Raiders at around the season midpoint. New management in Edmonton may finally learn how to handle their young players, although something tells me that it won't matter if they rush that Connor McDavid kid in next season. In spite of a strong half-season in Kelowna (53 points in 32 games), Draisaitl will probably be a borderline fantasy option at best in standard-sized formats next season as he battles for minutes.
Sportsnet hyped up the matchup of Cole Cassels and Draisaitl in this game. Cassels, whose stock has skyrocketed this season, seems to feed off matching up against an opponent's top center. In the OHL Final, it was McDavid. In this game, it was his future Oilers' teammate Draisaitl. The Canucks need to groom this guy stat if they want to matchup strongly against what is going to be a fierce scoring attack with their division rival in Edmonton.
*
Tampa Bay's youth and speed versus Chicago's experience and speed should make for an interesting Stanley Cup Final. Do you like scoring? Well, you're looking at the NHL's top-ranked regular season offense in the Lightning at 3.16 goals/game against the NHL's 17th-ranked offense in the Blackhawks at 2.68 goals/game… wait, what? The Hawks had an average offense this season? That's right: no one on the Hawks reached 70 points this season (although Patrick Kane would have, had he not been injured). I wonder if any Stanley Cup winner in the post-Original Six era has been without a 70-point scorer.
In the Dobber Hockey Highlight of the Night, Jacob Markstrom makes an unreal stick save in Game 5 of the AHL Western Conference Final. Watch it below and be amazed.