When I was commissioned by the higher-ups here at Two
Minutes for Typing to cover the 2013 Prospect Camp for the Chicago Blackhawks I
did what any upstanding journalist would do: not show up until the fourth day
and be two hours late. But it was a great experience to see a few of the future
Blackhawks and a bunch of other hacks who will never crack the roster. It made
me feel better about how bad I am at the sport even though those low on the
totem pole in the mix could embarrass the hell out of me with little to no
effort.
But all attempts at comedy aside, this was absolutely a new
experience for me as I do not get the chance to witness many of the
up-and-comers prior to service in the big boys' league. Watching hockey in this
sort of environment also helps put in perspective the level of difficulty involved
in attaining a job at the professional level in any sport. While I do believe
that all involved in the camp are still a far cry away from graduating to the
NHL, I did make a few mental notes on some players who quite possibly are a
little closer than others.
Before I start dropping names, let me just provide some
general observations. I arrived around noon during the scrimmage portion of the
session of which one period had passed and the game was scoreless. The teams
dressed in either red or white (I will henceforth refer to each team in the
proper noun variation of their respective colours) and I was rather thankful
that names and numbers marked the backs of the practice sweaters. For the
second period, I luckily found a spot right up on the glass a few paces west of
center ice which made me feel like a very small human being when the late teenagers
and early twenty-year-olds started
making laps.
The second period was nice and physical which is kind of
what you would expect to see from so many players looking to make an
impression. In the event that any one of them lands on the opening roster, he
would probably be looking at a third or fourth line role unless he's absolutely
brilliant (the latter not being the case on this day). 18-year old Jackson
Whistle for Red and 21-year-old Matthew O'Connor for White began the period in opposite nets
and while Red held the majority of possession for the entire 20 minutes,
O'Connor succeeded in keeping things even at 0-0.
At a stoppage in play with a tick under 11 minutes in the period
the goaltenders were switched out. 19-year-old Brandon Whitney stood guard for
Red while 21-year-old Matt Tomkins made failing to stop pucks look easy at the
other end of the ice. Tomkins let two goals in just 15 seconds apart and then a
third several minutes after to put White down into a hole. I don't quite have a
highly developed eye for style as far as goaltending goes but letting pucks
trickle in early reminds me a lot of Semyon Varlamov of the Colorado Avalanche
this year. To sum up this stretch of 20 minutes, Red played an aggressive game
and White couldn't find any chemistry to keep the opposition from walking all
over them.
For the third period I meandered upstairs for a bit of a
bird's-eye view to the action. This wasn't really a prime location because I
landed much further down the ice and any action along the near boards was
greatly obstructed by the building's design. Also, fellow spectators would yell
at me and refer to me as "buddy" when I went up against the edge to get
a better look. I apologize for the fact you actually have a seat I guess.
After I decided attempting pictures with my phone of players
I wanted to highlight wasn't working out, the third period proved to be an
exciting event. White actually pushed the play slightly more in the third but
Red still had the advantage on breakouts and maintaining possession from corner
battles. To further the Varlamov comparison, Tomkins seemed to settle into his
game, played smart in his positioning, and didn't allow another goal for the
duration of the scrimmage. For those not familiar with Semyon Varlamov, this
past season he had a tendency to allow a goal or several in the first couple
minutes of a game before playing lights out the other 56 minutes or what have
you. Even though Tomkins held court in his own end, he still was pulled for an
extra skater with roughly 6 minutes remaining in the game. Strangely, this
strategy kind of worked out even though they looked like they were finally
playing 5-on-5 despite the extra man and no goalie. White was rewarded by their
efforts, twice in fact, but couldn't manage another softy Whitney's way and
walked away with the loss.
Yes, the goaltending was not impressive in the slightest,
but who among skaters stood out in this game?
John Hayden
Hayden, on the Red squad, is a 6'3", 210 pound
18-year-old who should show some promise in a few years. This winger has a
knack for slipping undetected behind the defense and creating solo rushes.
Speed might be an issue for him as the defense would often arrive to challenge
but he has the hands to move from the outside to inside and avoid contact to
create opportunities on net. He can also use his body to push opposing players
off the puck so he doesn't seem to be afraid to throw his weight around. The
skaters did seem to enjoy extended shift times but he did get a look at center
as well even if it was for shorter stints. My only reservation about Hayden is
that he did stick to the opponent's blue line looking for the stretch pass but
he did show glimpses of defense if the play stayed in his zone long enough. If
I had to draw a comparison to an NHL player, think Alex Ovechkin without the
bag of tricks.
Matt Lorito
Lorito, of the Red ilk, is 5'9", 165 pounds, 23-years
old, and a free agent invitee to the camp. Though I wouldn't bet on his chances
in signing with the Hawks with those physical stats, he did play an impressive
game. This kid is a grinder and his drive was rewarded by a rebound goal, first
tally of the game, off his own breakaway opportunity. He is listed as a center
and proves he has the legs to excel at the position with the added bonus that
he fights for the puck wherever it may be. I have a soft spot for players like
this so I can't say I noticed any flaws when I felt his presence on the ice but
you can never underestimate a player who plays a bigger game than their
physical frame will let on. I would liken Matt Lorito to Brendan Gallagher of
the Montreal Canadiens mainly because of the similar body type coupled with the
fearlessness in dirtier areas of the ice against larger specimens.
Jake Chelios
If the surname sounds familiar, maybe you saw that father
Chris Chelios was recently announced an inductee to the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Maybe the Chelios offspring and Anthony Brodeur should start a club for kids
wearing their father's logo or something. Jake, another free agent invitee on
Red, measures in at 6'2" and 185 pounds while sporting 22 years of age. He
is listed as a defenseman on the prospects roster but was positioning as a
forward during the game I witnessed which explains why I was confused as to his
role on the ice. This also explains why he was very defensively responsible
while also sliding through the opposing slot without confrontation and netting
the second goal for his team. I could see him matching Brent Burns or Dustin
Byfuglien as far as skill playing either position. Jake just seemed to lack the
size, and therefore the physicality, to be successful at one or the other.
Among this competition he showed he has the skill but I would place him as a
development project for any team wishing to turn him into an NHL regular, and
he may be out of time for that.
Viktor Svedberg
Let me preface this by going on record to say that I don't
think defensemen fully actualize their potential until they hit their 30s. I
say this because, especially at a prospect soiree, the defensive players are
mostly noticeable by their faults instead of the aspects of the game they play
properly. Due to the speed of the players around, defensemen seem to scramble
more. Svedberg, a 22-year-old boasting 223 pounds on a 6'9" structure, was
probably the most sound at defense of the lot. Yes, his stature probably drew
my eye more than once but also his hunger for the puck was quite noticeable.
While he was more often than not the first man back to his own zone, he was
also a laudable point presence and could rip a mean shot from the position. In
a game dominated by forward prowess, he burned himself into my memory as one of
the few defensemen calling to reset the play at the blue line and succeeding
when the task was handed to him. The obvious comparison would be to Zdeno Chara
due to his size and brutality to the hunk of rubber. However I would place
Svedberg along with Marc-Eduoard Vlasic of San Jose if he were to make the jump
to the pro squad. Vlasic spent several years as the defensive anchor to
linemate Dan Boyle, the latter of whom would jump into the attack at the drop
of a hat. During this past season Vlasic saw himself quarterbacking offense on
his own pairing and drew success from this role. Svedberg seems to have the
same skill set where he can either put effective drives to the net or move the
play around while minding his P's and Q's on the back end.
No comments:
Post a Comment