Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Tigers select Rasmus Damgaards (Edit)

Rasmus is born in Denmark and he plays for the Malmo Red Hawks in Sweden
He is listed as 6 feet 185 pounds.

He played in Sweden's junior league recording 2 assists and 6 penalty minutes in 24 games played. He was born in Denmark. He was ranked at 166 on the European list for this years NHL entry draft but was not picked.


I will try to dig up a scouting report on him
A link with similar information
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=13018

Edit: had some wrong info on here, changed a few things.

Its tough to find info on him. Using the google translator helps. I did find an article saying that Hvidovre Ligahockey has him under contract for this coming season. Its not likely that he will play with the Tigers this season but nothing is official as of yet.

EDIT2:
Ive been continuing to search for new articles on Rasmus. One European blogger thinks Rasmus may need to develop a little more speed, and drive to his game.

CHL Import Draft Trades

Looks like the Tigers made a trade of some sort. They originally had the 41st pick of the draft.


Brandon acquired Medicine Hat’s first round pick in exchange for a sixth round bantam pick in 2011 or a flip of first round Import picks in 2011.

The Wheat Kings then traded that pick and 20-year old veteran Nathan Green to the Rebels in exchange for the fourteenth overall selection.

Import Draft History

Three posts Today. There is a post about Dylan Olsen Below.and Import Draft picks above

Link to CHL Import Draft
http://chl.ca/importDraft.php
The Tigers get the 41st pick. They are scheduled to pick at 4:10PM at the latest.

IMO The tigers have drafted exceptionally well in the CHL import draft since Willie Desjardins has taken over. With players coming from europe they have to rely on scouts and player agents that are not necessarily part of their organization, but have a decent reputation.


2002
Martin Kubaliak 3rd overall
Andrei Kastitsyn 15th overall

Andrei Kostistsyn ended up not reporting to the Tigers. Martin Kubaliak was used as a depth player. He played in 2 season with 56 games in his first season and 23 games in his second season.A very poor draft considering the tigers had 2 first round picks.

2003
Yannic Seidenberg 29th overall

The tigers drafted a gem in Yannic. He put up over a point per game, and was a key member of the Tigers memorial Cup run. Looking at his stats he is putting up some good numbers over in Europe.

2004
Roman Psurny 50th
Juraj Prokop 70th

Roman Psurny was a Key player for the Tigers. A hard worker and and put up 103 points in 2 seasons. Prokop started out the season on fire, but there were unfortunate circumstances and he had to leave. If i remember correctly it had something to do with protecting his mother back home.

2005
Michal Psurny 54th
Michal was largely a depth player while over here, even with getting 19 points in 30 games. He didn't adapt as quickly to the whl style and was swapped to the Kooteny Ice for Marek Curilla.

2006
Jakub Rumpel 57th
Alexi Provkin 67th

Jakub Rumpel was a key piece to the tigers puzzle. Small but fiesty. A 3rd line scorer/grinder for the tigers memorial cup runner up appearance. Provkin was a really raw defenseman. He was small and could hit like a bull, but was a bit overmatched in the whl.

2007
Tomas Vosvrada 59th
Micheal Ahlen 60th

Vosvrada impressed initially but was largely inconsistent, and there was a streak where his confidence was shattered pretty badly giving up some really soft goals. I wish he could have done better. Micheal Ahlen was a hidden weapon. TO start the season his skating looked like a bantam house league player. However When he was givin the chance in the second half of the season he really took off. Largely used as a depth player, but ended up as a consistent contributor.


2008
Tomas Kundratek 15th
Zdenek Okal 75th

A very good import draft year. Both players were key players. With Okal expected to play another year in the Hat. No doubt he should get another invite this year for the czech's national junior team at Christmas. Kundratek was a key member of the Tigers defense.

In conclusion the only real blip on the radar was in 2002. 1 player who didn't report and a depth defenseman. Hopefully the tigers can draft a player who can become a core member this year.

I'll be back later probably around supper time, and Ill try to track down everything I can about the Tigers Selections at the Draft.

Dylan Olsen talks to the News

After the draft there was at least some kind of hope that Dylan Olsen might have changed his mind and go the WHL route instead of the NCAA route.

He had these comments for the Medicine Hat News Today:

“I’m still planning to go down to Duluth in August,” Olsen told the Medicine Hat News on Monday. “I had been talking to them for a couple years and near the end of (last) season I signed my letter of intent. I’ve been set on going their for a while. (When the Tigers) drafted me in the bantam draft, they wanted me to play for them, but growing up I’ve always been set on going to school.”

Like I said on the roars and purrs message board its gonna take some sort of lucky break to land him. The Tigers Blueline would be 200% better than last year if he were to come over.

The tigers Defense would be very strong, potentially very suffocating with the development of Mathew Konan, Jayce Coyle, and Bo Montgomery, and Mark Isherwood, just think of adding Olsen to the Mix.

Cross your fingers TigerFans!!


The CHL Import Draft Is also being Held Tomorrow. From what I understand Zdenek Okal will be back, so that leaves 1 new overager spot.

For yours and my convenience here is the link for the CHL Import Draft
http://chl.ca/importDraft.php
The Tigers get the 41st pick

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Linden Vey Picked by Kings

The only player from the Tigers roster that was picked in the nhl draft was linden Vey

Linden Vey went 96th overall to the L.A Kings in their second pick of the round.

I should add that the CHL import draft is this Tuesday!

Friday, June 26, 2009

NHL draft day news

If any News comes up regarding tigers players today I'll post it here.

Joffrey Lupul dealt back to Anaheim

The Anaheim Ducks have traded defenceman Chris Pronger, ____ Dingle, to the Philadelphia Flyers for defenceman Luca Sbisa, forward Joffrey Lupul and two first-round picks, plus a conditional 3rd round pick.

* An interesting note is this is the second time Joffrey Lupul has been involved in a Chris Pronger trade.

Thats it for the first round today. Medicine Hat Tigers list player Dylan Olsen was picked 28th by Chicago in the first round. His chances of coming to the Hat don't look very good as he has already committed to attend Minnesota-deluth next year. Although the TSN broadcasters didn't mention anything about where he will play next year.

I'M wondering if Mark Isherwood will garner late round pick interest during rounds 2-7 tomorrow. His draft year was last year, but I believe he is still eligible this year. Linden Vey will be expected to go anywhere from 3-5 rounds.
Mathew Konan is also a possible late round pick. Cody Carlson is also eligible for the draft this year, he was unranked by central scouting.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Preseason Schedule + Home Opener released

The Tigers will play their Home Opener Saturday September 19th, vs the Lethbridge Hurricanes. It is interesting to note that the tigers will not be the visitors in any of the opponents home openers.

Here is the Tigers Preseason schedule


Fri Aug 28th MJ vs MH in Edmonton 3:00
Sat Aug 29th Reg vs MH in Edmonton 11:00
Sun Aug 30th Edm vs MH in Edmonton 7:00
Fri Sept 4th MH vs P.A in P.A 7:00
Sat Sept 5th MS vs Sask in Aberdeen 7:05
Fri Sept 11th MH vs SC in Swift 7:30
Sat Sept 12th SC vs MH in Medicine hat 7:30


So 1 preseason game at home, and they play in the preseason tourney in Edmonton

On another non hockey related note BREAKING NEWS: There are reports that Micheal Jackson has died. I don't think anything is confirmed, but he was rushed to hospital after a 911 call.
Edit: It has been confirmed by cnn, and the BBC that he has died.

Also the first round of the NHl draft is on tsn tomorrow. I believe it starts at 5:00 pm mtn on tsn. The rest of teh draft will be held saturday.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Excitement For Flames Fan's

Speculation has been going on ever since Brent Sutter resigned from New Jersey but it was made official today. Brent Sutter is now the head coach of the Calgary Flames.

Joining him behind the bench as assistants are former NHL goalie Jamie McLennan, and former whl coaches Ryan McGill, and Dave Lowry.

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=282628

On the same topic there has been lots of movement with the coaches/Gm's for the whl this offseason. Just off the top of my head Everett, Lethbridge, Swift Current, Calgary, Regina, Prince George, Moose Jaw all have new guys in the front office.

Monday, June 22, 2009

Bob McKenzie's NHL Draft Predictions

Bob McKenzie has his annual prospect rankings up at TSN.
McKenzie's rankings in the past have been pretty accurate. This year he ranked the top 60 players, no current tigers made the cut

http://www.tsn.ca/draftcentre/feature/?fid=11891

The Draft is being held In Montreal on friday.

Friday, June 19, 2009

Former Tiger Stefan Myer Traded to Phoenix

The Phoenix Coyotes may be in bankruptcy but they continue to do business.

Phoenix has traded Centre Steve Reinprecht to the Florida Panthers in exchange for Stefan Meyer.

The Coyotes have also agreed to terms with forward Petr Prucha on a two-year deal worth $1.1 million per season.

Reinprecht, meanwhile, has signed a three-year deal with the Panthers.

Reinprecht's three-year deal has a cap hit of $2.050 million. He will get $1.8 million in the first year and $2.175 million in each of the following two years.
http://tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=282319

Also Alan Caldwell reported the other day that If Tyler Kieffer doesn't report to Medicine Hat, Everett will send us their 4th round pick.

Broncos Head Coach and General Manager has resigned his position to become an assistant coach with the New York Islanders. It has been rumored that Swift Current has Talked to Shaun Clouston about their coaching vacancy

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Overager Discussion

Alan Caldwell over on his blog has gone through a list of potential overager's this coming year. He mentions that this year there is a deeper pool of overage players.

I believe I did a brief recap of next years team a month or two ago, and I thought I would expand my thoughts on next years Overager's.

Thomas Kundratek is likely gone. As a 20 year old euro I do not see him coming back. Tyler Ennis is more than likely to be gone as well. He is too good for the whl. He would only come back if there were contract problems, or Buffalo's minor league affiliates get jam packed with forwards. I am surprised that Buffalo has yet to sign him to an NHL deal.

Ryan Holfeld
Some major question that comes up are: is Tyler Bunz ready? What kind of market is out there for goaltenders? DO the tigers want to go with an experienced whl tender? or try to develop their youth a little quicker? What will they lose/gain if they keep/get rid of Holfeld?

Prospects
Sam Brittain - 17 (NCAA or WHl?)
Tyler Bunz - 17
Brad Gustafson - 16
Dawson Macauley - 15

If the tigers do decide to go in a youth direction on their back-end, that would mean a couple really young goaltenders. Bunz is definitely good enough to step up, but what about the back-up position? It would be tough for a young 17 yr old to play the majority of games, while still going through school. I heard rumbling about Brittain considering options to go through the NCAA route but i have no idea if any rumors are true or not.

By keeping Holfeld you maintain good depth at the goalie position, by having an above average experienced guy, and an above average goalie in the wings. However by letting him go you retain another 20 yr old forward to provide that solid 2-3 lines up front. This is a tougher decision than most fans realize IMO.

Mark Isherwood

The one player I think will be a lock. Unless he happens to sign a pro contract or Desjardin feels he can get a couple good players in return via trade.

Travis Dunstall
As a fan i was frustrated watching him play. Few second efforts, and he stopped skating when he got the puck. There was that "flu" issue where he was sent home for a week. I think a fresh start is in order for him and many fans would agree. I have a feeling that Desjardin has a soft spot for him, and its possible he comes back next year with a new attitude and desire to compete harder.

Bretton Cameron
He has a knack for scoring the garbage goals, and gives 100% full effort every game. Will stick up for teammates. I think he has the potential to be a .7+ ppg player next year. Cameron and grant could be competing for that last overager position.

Colton Grant
His game took off last year in the post season. HE was phenomenal in the playoffs. Very good penalty killer. Could be competing for that last 20 yr old position. 0.5 ppg potential while playing a defensive role.

The tigers have options on next years overager's. The consensus among tiger fans would probably be Isherwood, Cameron, and grant. I tend to agree, going on last season's play. However If we follow the 20 yr old history from past years we might be in for a surprise or two.

If the tigers get a good backup goalie in training camp to push bunz, it would make sense to trade away Holfeld. I'm thinking unless that happens they will keep Holfeld, unless some trade offer comes up.

I'm putting a poll up on overager's soon check the right hand side. You can pick multiple answers. The poll is also based that: Tyler Ennis, and THomas Kundratek will play in the pro's next year.

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Sweet Saturday

Well if your a hockey fan, by now you probably already know that the Pittsburgh Penguins are the New Stanley Cup Champs. What a way to end the game, with Marc Andrey Fluery making an unbelievable save on Lidstrom at the end.

I was cheering for Detroit, specifically because of (Darren Helm, Chris Osgood, Ken Holland), Although I don't really feel that bad because Detroit Lost. I'm not the biggest crosby fan in the world, but the penguins had an amazing team. Guys Like talbot, scuderi,orpik,fedetenko,kennedy, cook really grinded it out and earned my respect, even if one or two of them crunched Helm once or twice:P


But Man O Man I wonder what Is going through the Mind Of Marian Hossa right now?


After game 6 ended I honestly thought Detroit would win game 7, but I started having this feeling like the opposite was going to happen a couple hours before gametime.

To me it felt like when the Penguins played their game, they were the better team. When the pens relaxed and took their foot off the pedal Detroit took advantage of them. The pens were much more physical as a team and I think that really showed throughout the series(minus the first 2 games, and it really hampered Detroit's smooth flowing, puck control game.

Monday, June 8, 2009

Tigers Prospects

Alan Caldwell over on his blog has compiled a list of tigers prospects in the system.

If you wanna view it here is a link directly to his blog. There is also a link over there ----------------------------------------->
http://smallatlarge.blogspot.com/2009/06/2009-10-prospects-medicine-hat.html

Looks like the tigers have quite a few players(mostly listed players, Olsen was a 4th round pick) that have decided to go the college route.

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Tickets & Rumours

Well Hopefully you renewed your season tickets because the deadline was on Friday!

I know when I renewed mine the lady at the front office looked a little overworked. She kept commenting about how 80% of the renewals came within three days prior to the deadline.

IT doesn't look like the Tigers are going to land potential first round draft pick Dylan Olsen. According to the fan960 in Calgary he has signed a contract with minnesota-deluth for next season. He gave a verbal commitment to them in Late February.

I believe his dad went the western Collegiate route in his playing days, and a couple of his former teammates went that way to, and that probably influenced his decision.


Dylan Olsen



Here is part of the transcript of him being interviewed by "Coming down the Pipe" -May 12th, 2009
http://thepipelineshow.blogspot.com/search/label/Olsen%20(Dylan)


"The reason I decided to attend Minnesota Duluth for the 2010 season was because it seemed like the best fit for me to develop more as a hockey player and as an individual. There have been a few Kodiaks in the past that have gone there and they have gone on to greater things, such as Mason Raymond who is now playing for Vancouver in the NHL.

I was looking for a school where i would come in and get some ice time as a freshman and make an impact on the team so that we could have success. And after talking to Duluth for a while and seeing what they had to offer I knew I wanted to be a bulldog."