Thursday, December 31, 2009

Elo and Scandella in the U20 World Juniors

Eero Elo and Team Finland lost to Sweden 7-1. The score is not an accurate representation of the game as Finland outshot Sweden 23-3 in the first period. However, it is evident that Finland did not have finishers or goaltending to outshine their rivals.

Eero Elo had a poor game, going -2 with 4 shots on net. His poor outlet pass into the middle of his own zone led to the Sweden's second goal.

Overall, Elo is a big body that is definitely a project. He doesn't have anything above average and showed poor awareness on the forecheck, as well as breaking out of his own zone. The only thing noticeable was his ability to attack the net. I will see more of him when he plays team USA on Saturday.



Canada beat USA 5-4 in a shootout. It was just a great game to watch. The USA let go of a 4-2 lead and outplayed Canada for 45 minutes. As far as Scandella is concerned, he was one of Canada's better defensemen, getting an assist on Canada's goal by making a nice outlet pass to Brayden Schenn. Scandella played physical along the wall and only made one bad pass the whole game. Scandella had a few shots on net and appears to be gaining confidence as the tournament progresses.


Happy New Year!

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Prospects Sheet Updated; World Juniors

The NHL Network has really come in handy lately. I have been able to watch just about every USA or Canada in the U20 World Juniors.

The Wild have a few players in the tournament with Marco Scandella playing for Canada, as well as Jere Sallinen and Eero Elo for Finland. Since I have not been able to catch Finland play, I can't comment on his play. As far as Marco Scandella is concerned, this is a great experience for him. He hasn't played near the level that Pietrangelo, Ellis or Hamonic have but he has been making safe plays, playing physical and unloading a cannon on the powerplay (only late in the game considering Canada has smoked everyone thus far). Scandella gives guys problems with his poke-check and size but he does have problems when the puck is in close to his feet. He does appear nervous when he doesn't have time and space, but I think that is because he is growing into his body and maturing mentally. Remember, it was Cuma that was expected to be a shoe-in for team Canada the past two years. But, last years injury has taken a toll on young Cuma and it appears Cuma has to overcome a confidence issue.

With the above said, I will say that probable 1st overall pick Taylor Hall has been unbelievable. He had a hat trick tonight and was also dishing the puck beautifully. I am really glad the Wild have turned their season around but after watching Hall, my subconscious tells me having a chance at Hall would be a wet dream. The guy is big, has tons of speed, hustles and has great hands. He will be in the NHL next year and will be as effective as Tavares/Stamkos.

I can't wait until New Years Eve! The U.S. team will play Canada so now I/we can get to see a more competetive game. See you in a few!

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Niklas Backstrom

Got my computer reformatted so I'm back and it's time to blog!

I'll start with saying it is great to see the Minnesota Wild play with 100% effort, winning on the road and starting to become a team no one can take lightly.

Yes, the team is starting to get the system. Yes, Havlat is starting to get on the board. Yes, Lats seems to bring a lot more to the team than Pouliot did. But Backstrom is the reason this team is where it is. The Wild pepper teams with shots, forecheck teams' defenses into the ground and are playing aggressive hockey. However, they still lack goalscoring.

I have to eat crow for a second. I was worried about Backstrom when we first hired Richards. We all knew he was a very disciplined goalie, in that he is calm and positionally sound. I was worried that he didn't have the acrobatics or athleticism to be able to stop odd-man rushes. Boy, was I wrong. Over the Wild's recent road trip, Backstrom has made key saves at key times. He was already receiving well deserved recognition over the past few seasons but is now being mentioned as an elite goalie.

At first, I thought his contract would hinder the Wild since I felt the Wild would not make the playoffs the next few seasons as CF rebuilds the team. But, it is hard to argue that having one of the best goaltenders in the game is a bad thing. So, cheers for Backstrom.



Clayton Stoner played in his first game tonight against Montreal. I thought he played a very basic and smart game. I hope he continues to get ice time and proves to be a good 5th-6th defenseman. He can play physical, can pass, is mobile and is young. Having this many defensemen come the trade deadline should make things interesting.



Tyler Cuma and Matthew Hackett did not make the Canadian Junior U20s team but Marco Scandella secured his spot. It will be good to see how both Cuma (who everyone thought would be a shoe-in a few months ago) and Scandella respond. Hopefully, it lights a fire under Cuma's ass and Scandella shows the world what he has to offer. Either way, it appears that the Wild do have great defense prospective depth.