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Call of the Wilde – Centered and Focused
Habs Vs. Leafs – Who Has the Better Wingers?
Habs Vs. Leafs – Who Has the Better Wingers?
Leaf fans this past week on Twitter informed me on several occasions that Toronto’s wingers are better than Montreal’s going into the 2017-18 season….so I decided to break it down to see if the truth may lie elsewhere. Here is Part 1 of a comprehensive comparison of the projected wingers on each team head-to-head. Lower-line […]
Habs Forward Group Underappreciated
Habs Forward Group Underappreciated
We had a subscriber leave a message on Recrutes board where he said this – “The holes in the roster aren’t shallow. we have a team who is going to try desperately to climb out of those holes.” I really think that overstating the offensive “desperation” with a team coming off of a 103-point season. […]
Call Of The Wilde: Markov’s Bombshell Teleconference
Call Of The Wilde: Markov’s Bombshell Teleconference
The bombs just kept dropping during an afternoon telephone conference put on for Andrei Markov by the Montreal Canadiens. That in itself was bizarre as usually when the club and the player part ways, that’s the end. It started peacefully: “Today, I had to make a difficult decision. I will not be back with the […]
U18 Report – Team Czech Republic
U18 Report – Team Czech Republic
Here is a breakdown of some of the more notable Czech prospects at the recent U-18 world championships: Martin Necas – C Expectations were quite high for the Martin Necas—the marquee Czech talent—but he had a disappointing tournament overall. There’s no denying Necas’s high-end skill. He’s a deft stickhandler and explosive skater who makes high-difficulty […]
U-18 Report – US vs. Belarus
U-18 Report – US vs. Belarus
The USA, as expected, crushed Belarus 7-0 in their tournament opener. In typical US fashion, they received strong contributions up and down the lineup, with all four lines chipping in at least one goal. Belarus received four consecutive powerplays in the first period, but were unable to capitalize as the US penalty kill collapsed around […]
Good Things Come in Small Packages
Good Things Come in Small Packages
Each year while scouting countless young prospects in various leagues there is always one player in particular that tickles my fancy and ends up being thoroughly enjoyable to watch for whatever reasons, and becomes a player I end up ranking higher than the perceived consensus. Last year that prospect was Mississauga’s Michael McLeod…a player who […]
Ivan Hlinka Report – A look at 2018
Ivan Hlinka Report – A look at 2018
One of the fun things about the Ivan Hlinka tournament is that there are always several 16-year-olds that catch our attention and makes us dream of vast riches two years down the road. Here is a look back at some of the more prominent underagers who participated in the 2016 event last summer. 2018 prospects: Several […]
Ivan Hlinka Report – Russia, Sweden, Czechs, Slovakia
Ivan Hlinka Report – Russia, Sweden, Czechs, Slovakia
Russia Kostin, Lipanov and Samorukov are the saviours in an otherwise ho hum crop for a country that used to produce a half dozen or more first-round prospects each draft. There are no studs on the blueline, and beyond Kostin and Lipanov, the forward group lacks talent. Forwards Klim Kostin – He looked like […]
5 Nations Cup U-18 Prospect Report – Sweden
5 Nations Cup U-18 Prospect Report – Sweden
Tournament organizers may have considered making a new Norris Trophy after the performance Team USA’s top center put on at the recent 5 Nations Cup U-18 event in Sundsvall, Sweden on Feb. 8-12. Josh Norris not only led all skaters with three goals and four assists, he was the catalyst for an improbable comeback that […]