WBS Pens weekly report - 11/30

[eastonpensfan]

Hello again sports fans. My report this week is delayed since I was in Pittsburgh Monday through Wednesday. Got home just in time for the WBS game on Wednesday. I bought a pair of front-row seats for the Pens-Isles game and was proud to be part of the eruption when Colby finally scored! It’s always a pleasure to see the WBS alums do well. Speaking of which, Christensen (last week) and Pouliot (yesterday) hope to stick up with the parent clubs after doing very well this year here in the “Aâ€￾.

GOOD:
F Alexei Mikhnov – A recent addition to WBS from Edmonton, Mikhnov has had an excellent past 5 games. He scored in 4 of the 5, finishing with 3+4 and a +2 rating along with a shootout goal against Hershey. He has shown excellent offensive talent and a willingness to do the harder things like board work and transitional defense that Rob Schremp has been struggling with. This has led to Mikhnov taking Schremp’s spot on the half-wall on the first PP unit. Not sure yet if he is one of those guys who lights up the AHL but can’t cut it in the NHL. Time will tell, but we’re glad to see him here.

RW Jonathan Filewich – Filly is really picking up even more now that Christensen got the call to the Burgh. His past 4 games show him at 4G+2A=6 and an even +/-. He seems to mesh well with Pouliot and Mikhnov as well as Schremp when he plays on that first line. His maturity in being able to play off of any linemate that is put with him is one reason why he will probably get his first NHL point at some point this year.

C Marc-Antoine Pouliot – We may have seen the last of him in WBS. He has been absolutely stellar the last 2 weeks, but here’s hoping he does well with Edmonton. For his last 4 games here in WBS, he scored 3+4, was a +2 and had 2 shootout goals (including the game-winner) in the Hershey game. He had been improving on his faceoffs and his strong defensive play was getting him noticed. He plays like a young Rod Brind’Amour. Solid 2-way player who can put the puck in the net.

UNDECIDED:
D Micki DuPont – His stats show him as 1+4 and a +6 over the past 5 games which looks outstanding, however that doesn’t tell the whole story if you watched the games. He had 3 points and was a +2 in the 6-0 Albany rout. His PP work was very good in that game and he was rewarded against a lesser team. However, against Norfolk, Dupont, Gilbert, and Bissonnette played terribly, allowing the Admirals to come away with a 4-2 win. Then, he rebounded by having strong breakout and PP point play, being the only +3 player in a 6-5 loss against Bingo. In the Hershey and Syracuse games, he played solid, but nothing special. Inconsistent play, not playing like the vet he is.

BAD:
G Andrew Penner – Only saved 60 of 68 shots for a .882 SP and allowed 3 shootout goals in 4 chances to lose the Binghamton game. Each game, there were defensive lapses in front of him, but he should accept the blame for at least one of the games. Deslauriers was playing exceptionally well but was called up for a day, allowing Penner to be the man with Andy Franck (ECHL-Wheeling) as his backup. All I can say about how Penner is doing is that Jocelyn Thibault should fell very secure in his job as backup goalie.

2 games this weekend, Hershey at home tonight and an away game at Binghamton tomorrow night. Looking forward to seeing the WBS debut of Andre Roy tonight. His fists should get some work this weekend with those 2 teams.

[25+66+22=#1]

I was in Heshey for the game last Sunday.I've been watching the games on webcast as well. I really like Mihknov (sp?) He shows flashes of elite talent. At this point he seems to lack the little things that make players great. I'm also not sure about his on-ice vision which could be a huge difference for someone of his skillset.

Filewich has looked really good, scoring dirty goals and pretty ones as well.

Pouliot seems like a player who could really score in even the NHL if paired with good people. Do you think his skating will hold him back though?

I've been impressed with the strides Carcillo has made. I don't know if he's ready for the bigtime but he has progressed toward that goal immensely. I do like his skating, love his tenacity, and he has made improvements to his discipline.

[K2]

I can remember Carcillo being one of the guys Shero seemed to mention as young talent shortly after being hired. He's a Ray Shero type of player, and I think he is making every effort to fit the mold of a successful 3rd or 4th liner in Pittsburgh, ala Petro and Talbot. I think him and Filly have a future in the NHL