WBS Pens' weekly report - 10/21

[eastonpensfan]

Here we go, Pens' fans. First home-and-home of the year, this one against the Albany River Rats and our Pens came through with flying colors. Thanks to Bridgeport for beating Hershey in a shootout, which puts our Pens in first place! On to the evaluations...

GOOD:

C Maxime Talbot - Last week, he played well, showing no rust from the "knee infection". This week, he continued that. He now has the last 3 game-winning goals for WBS! The first one on Sat. was pretty poor, considering he got credit because Albany put it in their own goal, but, hey, it's on the scoreboard, so we'll take it. Those are Talbot kind of goals. Remember his first NHL goal? He scored it by flipping a neutral-zone faceoff win into the Flyers' zone while the goalie was still clearing the snow and it went in. Anyway, good shot selection for him and he's flying all over the ice. Does he get a callup if/when Staal goes back? He hasn't given any reason why not, but we'll see.

RW Jonathan Filewich - I think he's going to be on this list until he gets called up... He's that good. Ryan Malone's injury last night probably has him waiting by the phone. A pair of goals this weekend, a +1 over the 2 games and all that even with a new linemate in Pouliot on Sat.

C Rob Schremp - A goal and a +1 on Friday and stayed off the scoresheet Sat. He is a very mature player, stays out of the box, even in that whistle-fest on Saturday night. Occasionally, he tries to make one too many moves with the puck and so does make turnovers more than an NHL coach would like to see, but that seems to be the only real flaw in his game, at least at this level.

LW Daniel Carcillo - Responds to being a healthy scratch last week by going 2+1=3 on Friday and winning a fight on Saturday, his only PIMs of the weekend. This was a gritty series and the Carcillo of last year probably would have mixed it up more, especially with all of the after-the-whistle extras on Friday night. Well done Danny. Only the glut of "tough" wings in Pitt(LeClair, Petro, Ruutu, Roy, Thorburn, Stewart) may keep him down here for the year. But, we'll see. He has made a lot of improvement in the offseason.

C Erik Christensen - Not as many points as last year, but I don't believe he's been held off the scoresheet yet this year. He is a great finisher at this level. I only wish he could carry that to the NHL.

C Ryan Stone - 4 point weekend for a defensive forward! This guy just works hard. Every time there is an important defensive stand for the team, it seems like he is there. He pressures opponents into making mistakes and then stays in his lane defensively when asked to play a shut-down role. I believe you will see him in the NHL in a year or 2 as a Dominic Moore-type of player. Maybe this year?

Ds Alain Nasreddine and Noah Welch - I believe Welch comes up if/when Letang goes back to juniors... A pair of helpers this weekend and led the team in shots on Saturday. It seems every game showcases a different part of his game. Last Saturday, he spent most of the game playing a defensive D-man role, while this weekend, he was a little more involved offensively, although that could be due to his time on the PP with all the penalties on Sat. Naz had an assist, went +2, and had a rare fight on Sat. He is really a dependable player. He doesn't have the greatest wheels in the league (an understatement), but he is definitely a great leader on this team and deserves to wear that "C" for the 3rd year now.

Gs Andrew Penner and Jeff Deslauriers - J.D. played well on Saturday although he wasn't as flashy and brilliant as last week, but it was enough to get the 6-3 win on Friday. Penner earns his first shutout as a Pen although he wasn't really tested that much. Congrats Andrew!

Pens' offensive pressure - I hate to put a team concept up here on these rankings, but this is what gave them the shutout on Saturday. Instead of playing a trap when they have the lead, they keep the puck in the opponents' zone so much that the opposing team doesn't get enough scoring chances to win the game. Pens motto for this year should be "the best defense is a good offense".

UNDECIDED -

D Ryan Lannon - Where has this guy been? He hasn't shown any improvement in the offseason and so he hasn't worked up to where he plays on a line with his college buddy Noah Welch, like he did in the playoffs. He hasn't been bad, but definitely hasn't improved as much as you would like to see for a NHL prospect.

BAD -

RW Dennis Bonvie - He was back in the lineup on Saturday to serve as a protection and didn't even fight. Missed 3 golden scoring chances on Saturday because his hands couldn't catch up to the puck. Someone needs to tell this guy to retire so he can take his place behind the bench. His hockey smarts are excellent and that shows since he's in the right place to have these chances but his "skills" have deteriorated to the point where he is a liability on this team. Any other member of this team would have had at least 2 goals on those 3 chances, they were that easy.

D Tom Gilbert - Healthy scratch both games. Wasn't bad last weekend so he must have been poor at practice this week for Richards to choose to bench him for 2 games.

This is truly an amazing team. I only picked out the players that were doing exceptionally well or poorly, but this team as a whole is one of the most balanced and talented teams we have ever seen in Wilkes-Barre. Especially with the Edmonton guys (Schremp, Deslauriers, Pouliot, Brodziak), there is an expectation to win handily each night. Most of these games aren't even close. Last week's GF-GA was 10-2 and this week was 9-3! This was against teams that will probably make the playoffs this year. If you get any chance to be near Wilkes-Barre this year or can see them as they visit another arena, please do so. You will be glad you did.

[Ron`]

Excellant report and thanks for the effort. Mom didn't want to go Saturday, but my daughter was there with her friends. I watched the big pens instead. She was disappointed that Murley was a scratch for the Rats. Other than that she said it was a good game.

[netwolf]

Thanks for the report! If I ever open up an eastern branch of the LGP Press Box, you get to run it.

[eastonpensfan]

Thanks guys... Just trying to do my part to keep everyone up-to-date on the Baby Pens. There's a lot to love about this team and it's great to see how many of the minor-league Penguins are able to develop into NHL players. We are fans of a very classy organization, from the NHL on down.

[Kicksave]

Thanks guys... Just trying to do my part to keep everyone up-to-date on the Baby Pens. There's a lot to love about this team and it's great to see how many of the minor-league Penguins are able to develop into NHL players. We are fans of a very classy organization, from the NHL on down.

We? What position do you hold with the team

[eastonpensfan]

Thanks guys... Just trying to do my part to keep everyone up-to-date on the Baby Pens. There's a lot to love about this team and it's great to see how many of the minor-league Penguins are able to develop into NHL players. We are fans of a very classy organization, from the NHL on down.

We? What position do you hold with the team

The part where I said "WE ARE FANS" didn't ring a bell?

[canaan]

Thanks guys... Just trying to do my part to keep everyone up-to-date on the Baby Pens. There's a lot to love about this team and it's great to see how many of the minor-league Penguins are able to develop into NHL players. We are fans of a very classy organization, from the NHL on down.

We? What position do you hold with the team

he does say "we are fans of..." don't see much aligning himself with the team itself. pwned.

edit: easton beat me

[Kicksave]

Thanks guys... Just trying to do my part to keep everyone up-to-date on the Baby Pens. There's a lot to love about this team and it's great to see how many of the minor-league Penguins are able to develop into NHL players. We are fans of a very classy organization, from the NHL on down.

We? What position do you hold with the team

The part where I said "WE ARE FANS" didn't ring a bell?

Touché

[psubar12]

hey eastonpens, I just found out from ron that you are doing these reports and they are greatly appreciated. If someone has asked you these questions, you don't have to answer (just tell me the post where you answered already), but I am curious.

IYO, How does it work out for team and individual development to have players from Edmonton around? i.e. do you feel anyone is getting shafted on playing time because a more talented Baby Oiler is there?

I was really impressed with Erik Christensen when he was first called up last year. Mostly because he positioned himself well to recieve passes and had a really quick, hard shot. IMO, he didn't last because he lacked the size to be an effective NHL center. Has the organization ever tried him at wing? Does he have the speed to play wing, or is that one of deficiencies? I really would like to see him get another shot, but maybe as a scoring winger.

You seem to like Ryan Stone a lot. Is there any way he could replace LeClair?

I'm not familiar with coach Richards, so if this sounds dumb, I apologize. Was Richards brought from the outside, or was he an assistant of Therrien's? The reason I ask is b/c I think it is very important for an organization to have good communication between the two franchises. Therrien seems like the type of guy who will really listen to what another coach has to say about his players.

Which theam is better? Last year's team in the first 20 games or so (they won them all right?), or this year's team?

[eastonpensfan]

No problem to answer the questions. I'm just here to help.

To start with, the Edmonton deal has been great for the Pens. Although it does cut into the playing time of Pens' prospects, especially the forwards, the competition for this playing time has brought out the best in everyone. Because of this competition, Todd Richards (WBS coach) has the luxury of too many players and he sits the ones who he feels slacked off in practice or in the last game. So far, that means he has sat players like Ryan Lannon, Noah Welch, Daniel Carcillo, etc., all top prospects. Welch has said that benching was a wake-up call and one of the things that helped him reach Pitt this year.

As for Christensen, he has a great shot. You're right about that. He has played both center and wing in the WBS organization (WBS has only 4 true wings on their roster!), but still hasn't shown the work ethic that he needs to improve and get back to the NHL. He is putting up points in bunches, but that is because, as you said, he gets in the right place and has a blazing shot. He almost seems lost at times when there is hard work to do, like cycling. I think he shies away from the boards too much for a winger.

Ryan Stone probably won't replace LeClair. He is an outstanding two-way talent and I think the closest I could compare him to is Dominic Moore. Stone is counted on for PK duty, defensive shifts, and can put the puck in the net too, maybe even more than D. Moore does with Pittsburgh. In a year or so, you may see him in a 3rd line role with the top team.

As for Richards, his name is familiar to WBS Pens' fans, but not in a good way. He was the head coach of the Milwaukee Admirals in 04. Yes, the same Admirals that swept the Pens in the Calder Cup finals. Richards seems like a no-nonsense coach, one example being his guts in scratching star players. Both Therrien and Shero have said they talked to Richards before deciding to recall Welch and Talbot, so I think the communication is there.

Which team is better? Hmmm... that's a tough question. Last year's team started with guys who have found steady work in the NHL (Armstrong, Ouellet, Fleury, Whitney, Welch, Talbot). This year's team may not have as many Pens' prospects make the jump. However, it seems that this team plays harder, if that makes sense. This week was their first SO game. They have been outscoring opponents by ridiculous numbers, winning 6-1 and 4-1 games pretty often. Their offense this year is outstanding, especially the top line of Christensen, Schremp, and Filewich. Deslauriers, the Edmonton goalie, has reflexes that I've only seen from MAF in WBS. Watch for him to make a name for himself in the NHL. I think this team is deeper than last year's and should make a good run in the playoffs. This team has only lost 1 game so far, so they will be compared to last year's team more and more if they keep this up.

Thanks for the questions. It's great to find people to talk about the WBS Pens with.