Easton...

[Kovy27]

Why was Noah Welch scratched the other night?

[eastonpensfan]

Thanks for asking... The fact that some very talented players in Wilkes-Barre have been scratched is puzzling. Here's the short answer.

Todd Richards, WBS Pens coach, is sitting the players who perform poorly in the game the night before or in practice leading up to the game.

The long answer:

Richards has the luxury of sitting players as discipline and still putting an outstanding lineup on the ice. So far this season, he has scratched Welch, Ryan Lannon, Daniel Carcillo, Max Talbot (had an infected knee), Marc-Antoine Pouliot, etc. and still put together a team who has outscored the opponents 17-11 in 4 games and that includes a 7-4 loss.

In interviews, he has said that Welch was out of position last Saturday (in that loss) a few times. They weren't terribly costly errors (only one led to a breakaway where there was no goal), but Welch is held to a higher standard as a legitimate NHL prospect.

Carcillo, in case you were wondering, sat this weekend because, according to Richards, he didn't practice well.

Richards has 7 good AHL d-men so a good one will always sit. Carkner, DuPont, Skolney, and Nasreddine are all solid AHL vets and Gilbert, Lannon, and Welch are looked at as NHL prospects.

Due to the late agreement with Edmonton, there are at least 9 forwards who would be top-2 line players on other teams, IMHO.

It is an outstanding team this year, hopefully this extra luxury of the disciplinary actions Richards can take is a spark to the NHL prospects.

Hope this helps.

[Ron`]

Right on and solid analysis. This team with the Oiler's prospects is very good and has created a new competition even at the AHL level for playing time.

[jimjom]

Right on and solid analysis. This team with the Oiler's prospects is very good and has created a new competition even at the AHL level for playing time.

But this Oilers agreement is hurting the development of our players, don't you think? What good is a stacked AHL team? What good is a Calder Cup team full of ringers to anybody but WBS fans/ticket holders? Don't know about any of you, but as a Pens fan I'd rather see the team lose and consider themselves better for it rather than the alternative that could come out of this agreement. I don't like the agreement.

[eastonpensfan]

But this Oilers agreement is hurting the development of our players, don't you think? What good is a stacked AHL team? What good is a Calder Cup team full of ringers to anybody but WBS fans/ticket holders? Don't know about any of you, but as a Pens fan I'd rather see the team lose and consider themselves better for it rather than the alternative that could come out of this agreement. I don't like the agreement.

The primary job of an AHL team is to develop talent. That is true. The reason this competition is so good is twofold. It creates an atmosphere where the players should expect to win every night. That is a rare thing in sports and should really build confidence in these players.

For the second reason competition is so good, think of college sports. Why is it that all of the top prospects want to go to the Florida schools for football, UNC or Duke in basketball, or one of the Boston or Minnesota schools in hockey? Because that's where the best players, coaches, competition is. Do you think it's a coincidence that most of the successful players at the top level come from one of the top schools at the college level? No.

Competition amongst teammates for playing time causes them to raise their game. Those who raise their game to the level that earns the playing time will be better for it. Those who don't earn that playing time don't deserve to be in the NHL anyway if they can't win time on the top 2 lines on an AHL team. So far, practices and games for the WBS penguins have been sharper than I've ever seen in an AHL team and each practice/game has been better than the last because of this competition.

Take for example Jonathan Filewich, a potential top-2 line winger in the NHL. He shares a line with Erik Christensen and Robbie Schremp. Do you think Filewich will be better or worse for having Schremp (a top-flight Edmonton prospect) as his opposite winger?

[netwolf]

Take for example Jonathan Filewich, a potential top-2 line winger in the NHL. He shares a line with Erik Christensen and Robbie Schremp. Do you think Filewich will be better or worse for having Schremp (a top-flight Edmonton prospect) as his opposite winger?

Playing with better players will make you better, assuming you have the desire to do so and the talent to keep up.

I'd think the Pens would want EC playing wing and leaving center to Schremp as EC has no future with this organization as a scoring center.

[Ron`]

I think Edmonton wants to see if Robbie can play wing too. As far as hurting our prospects, Easton summed it up. If you can't compete for ice time in the AHL ......

[netwolf]

I think Edmonton wants to see if Robbie can play wing too.

Well, that's all fine and good, but it is the Pens farm team. I don't mind the Edmonton prospects being there; I think it helps. However, the Pens development needs should come first. If they don't have interest in trying EC at wing, then I wonder if RS might let him walk at first opportunity.

[eastonpensfan]

Well, that's all fine and good, but it is the Pens farm team. I don't mind the Edmonton prospects being there; I think it helps. However, the Pens development needs should come first. If they don't have interest in trying EC at wing, then I wonder if RS might let him walk at first opportunity.

After EC's disappointing camp, it seems like Pittsburgh has just kind of hidden him in the WBS. He has had a hot start down here in WBS, but that prompts kind of a ho-hum attitude because he did the same last year and then flopped in the NHL.

From what I'm sensing during practices/games, the WBS staff is doing what it takes to win. You kind of get a feel that they were told to win games with what they have. Both Edmonton and Pittsburgh prospects have been healthy scratches this year and both goalies have played 2 games.

EC has been playing wing on the PP, sort of a Jagr half-wall kind of position, and although he has been putting up stats, he is gliding a lot and not working as hard as he would need to so that he gets the call-up.

[Ron`]

I think Edmonton wants to see if Robbie can play wing too.

Well, that's all fine and good, but it is the Pens farm team. I don't mind the Edmonton prospects being there; I think it helps. However, the Pens development needs should come first. If they don't have interest in trying EC at wing, then I wonder if RS might let him walk at first opportunity.

Fact is Netwolf I think Shero is not going to keep guys under contract languishing in the organization for long. He's going to sign them and make a decision realtively quick on their future. Two years tops I'm guessing to show their worth.

[netwolf]

Fact is Netwolf I think Shero is not going to keep guys under contract languishing in the organization for long. He's going to sign them and make a decision realtively quick on their future. Two years tops I'm guessing to show their worth.

I've got no problems with that. If you don't think a guy is ever going to amount to anything, there's no point in continually qualifying a guy just because you can, especially now with a cap in place.

My point with EC is that you know that he has some skill and that he's not ever going to be a scoring center for you. I'd think you might as well try him at wing now before you cut him loose and see what happens. If they don't have any interest in doing so, then that leads me to believe they have already made up their minds to cut him loose at the end of his deal.

[Ron`]

Possibly, or maybe Eric doesn't want to move to wing and knows his career is dead here at center.