Thursday, January 10, 2019

Tigers Trade Josh Williams to Edmonton

Links
http://whl.ca/article/williams-kemp-swap-places-as-tigers-oil-kings-strike-deal
http://tigershockey.com/article/tigers-swap-williams-for-kemp
https://chatnewstoday.ca/article/585999/tigers-trade-williams-oil-kings







Requested A Trade?
Williams is only 17 so this means he must have requested a trade?
(See the comment section this might be incorrect)

So apparently 17's can be traded they just need to drop their no-trade clauses if they have one.

TigerTurf Thoughts
Completely unexpected, but I think I like the return for a couple of reasons...

This is a bit ironic but I was thinking the other day that Williams is falling in the draft rankings. He has been more of an individual perimeter player that is fairly good at protecting the puck but doesn't have enough experience yet to translate that into creating dangerous offensive chances and beating Dmen one on one.

I was thinking he is an "in between"  kind of prospect. Someone who was clearly ahead of the competition when he was younger, but also someone who needs some time for his potential to come out at a higher level. In terms of the NHL draft, I was placing him more of a 3rd/4th round type of prospect.

I do think he will be a really good player and I'm interested to see on what line he will play on in Edmonton.  I could easily see Williams putting up a lot of points and boosting his stock if he can start feeding passes to elite players because he can protect the puck very well.

Why This Could Be Good
With a potential up season next year, I feel the Tigers needed a bit more oomph in terms of goal scoring into their lineup. If Williams is a bit of a slow developer, Kemp will fit the bill coming into his 19yr old year.

 Kemp has shown he can be a goal scorer.  0.51PPG as a 17, and 0.98 PPG as an 18. Kemp was also used on the powerplay in Edmonton. He is also fairly calm and poised around the net. If there is a knock on him it's his consistency in playing hard every night.

Why This is Good For Edmonton
They are not a team to throw trades into the wind at random.  They have done a great job lately at getting long term value for their deals.

They look to be building around their group of 2000's and 2001's. In other words, they should be very strong the year after the Tigers strong season.

Next year they may see a bit of a transition with a lot of offence gone. This helps them retain a good player and build around that age group.



Lost Playing Years
This is a hidden stat that is probably the most under-rated and most overlooked among hockey fans.
This deal, in particular, is the type of deal the Tigers hardly ever make. They gave up a potential playing year as Williams is 1 year younger than Kemp. It means 1 less potential year of production from a good player.

This is why the Tigers usually never have a poor year, because they always keep playing years in mind. Whereas why Lethbridge was soo bad for so many years because they leaked playing years on every deal they made.

Now Williams will likely get drafted, and if he finds his game their is more risk he doesn't come back as a 20. With Brett Kemp, he went undrafted so there is the higher potential that he will be here as a 20.  Things can change of course.

Overall
The Tigers Immediately get better. Their powerplay gets better. They get someone who will be able to jump into a top 6 role right away. He will become the 3rd 20 goal scorer the Tigers will have this season.

I am a bit surprised the Tigers didn't go get more forward insurance. Cole Sillinger will likely immediately join the Tigers as soon as his minor league team is finished the season. (End of February) Playoffs go until End of March. I do not know the legislation around calling up 15yr olds should an emergency be required.

I think they could potentially callup Nick McCarry if needed as he is playing in the AJHL.

126 comments:

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
Williams to Edm for Kemp

January 10, 2019 at 2:31 PM Delete

TigerTurf said...

Anonymous said...
Clouston will not trade either goalies...he has shown in the past he likes two viable options. THEY WILL NOT BE MOVED!!!

January 10, 2019 at 2:32 PM Delete

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
I don't understand, I'm really surprised by trading Williams. I understand that he hasn't looked like a 1st round NHL pick like many scouts were predicting but there's room to grow. Why trade him for an older player without as much upside. Only way it makes sense is if Williams wanted out, still why not get more pieces for the future?

January 10, 2019 at 3:43 PM Delete

Anonymous said...

Anonymous longtimefan said...
For clarification, Josh Williams did not ask to be traded.

January 10, 2019 at 5:26 PM Delete

Anonymous said...

Anonymous Anonymous said...
2016 WHL draft and we have 5 picks in the first 3 rounds. We sign them all and this is going to be a year we build around. Three of these (Rybinski,Price and Williams)ask to be traded. Fedyck dropped from the list. Only Baker is left. Good job Tigers.

January 10, 2019 at 4:30 PM Delete

TigerTurf said...

I don't understand how Williams could be traded otherwise?

What is the loophole that exists that allows a 17yr old to be moved?

TigerTurf said...

Anon - That translates into Daniel Baker, Aiden Brook, Kemp 2nd 2019, 3rd in 2020, 5th

It's way too early to judge that draft year.

longtimefan said...

The rule is, and I got this from a billet family, a)the player must request the trade or b) the player must waive his no trade clause which apparently happened in this case.

CatFan said...

I have been disappointed in William's play this year. I really thought he would be a star player for us, and that just hasn't happened. Maybe he will be better in Edmonton, maybe not. He just doesn't seem to work as hard as he should.

Libertarian said...

If the Clouston did this trade out of request then fine. But if this was done for any other reason then I view this as a failure. If Clouston has decided to sell the farm for next year then there had better be more moves in particular...SIZE UP FRONT! It was way too early to give up on William's...

Anonymous said...

Tigers got better from this trade for the rest of this season and next. Not much to complain about really.

Assuming Hamblin and Prezuiso are back as 20s, they will have a nice group of 19s at forward behind them with Kemp, Chyzowski, Lockner, Brown and Anderson. Would have been nice to include Rybinski in that group as well, but he apparently wasn't interested in being the 3rd line C for this season and next.

The D wont likely have a "star" per se, but should be balanced and deep.

Goaltending should be set as well.

Assuming Hollett goes pro or gets traded, they will have another spot for a 20, so they could keep Ostir as well up front, or deal for a 20 year old Dman.

They will also have an open Euro spot with Nassen gone.

Bottom line, while the team right now isn't a powerhouse, they should give fits to whoever they play in round 1, and next year they will probably be challengers for 1st in the division.



Anonymous said...

This might go down as being one of the worst trades in Tigers history. What some of you are forgetting is that Williams is still only 17 years old.The kid was tied for 2nd in goals at the HLINKA GRETZKY CUP.The reason he did so well in that tournament is that he was playing with other skilled players.The Tigers lack skilled players and that's why he has struggled to break out this year.During the preseason Williams and Sillinger looked dynamic together and I was really looking forward to seeing those 2 play together next year.Had Clouston just been a little more patient we would have seen Williams breakout next year in a BIG way.There is a reason why Williams is ranked in the second round for the upcoming NHL draft and why he was invited to the Top Prospect game.The Tigers get back a kid that was never drafted by a NHL team and has scored 10 more goals this year while being a full year older WHOOPIE.Just wait Williams in his 18 year old season will outscore Kemp by a fair margin.Now that Williams is getting a chance to play with some skill in Edmonton (Jake Neighbours/Trey Fix-Wolansky/Matthew Robertson) you will all see just how good he really can be.I really wouldn't doubt if Williams and his agent did ask for a trade. They know his skill is being hidden due to Cloustons poor coaching and the lack of skill around him.It sure is funny when you look at Gary Haden's stats since being traded to Saskatoon. 32pts in 30 games hmmmmmm another example of a skilled player being held back by Clouston's poor coaching.How many more kids need to ask for trades out of town before they realize that Clouston's my way or the highway approach is absolutely killing this franchise.Kemp is going to struggle in the Hat just like Williams did, his points will drop and fans will soon realize that we got absolutely taken to the cleaners in this deal.Could Clouston not have at least got a high draft pick back with Kemp to balance things out a little bit? Williams has way more upside then the soon to be 19 year old Kemp so there definitely should have been more to this deal.If Clouston made this trade to try and save this season due to injuries to Ostir and Chyzowski he made a BIG mistake.The Tigers arnt beating the Raiders this year anyways so stick with the program. If you miss the playoffs because of a couple key injuries not a big deal at least fans could look at the future and be optimistic.In closing I must say Iam very disappointed by this trade,the Oil Kings got an incredible player yesterday and they are going to be a very good team for the next few years because of it.

Anonymous said...

What people need to realize is that kemp may be a year older but he should also be in the league as a 20 year old. Williams will be in the AHL at 20 most likely. This trade is surrounded by what ifs. If Williams turns it around clouston looks stupid. If he doesn’t live up to his potential clouston looks smart. I’m not saying we won or lost this trade but I will say it certainly is a bit risky. I thought we maybe should have got a lower draft pick back as well.

Anonymous said...

Replying to the person who is only actually got a hate on for the coach. Do you actually watch the games? I will agree that Williams could turn out but at this point it really is not happening. The Tigers drafted him 5th overall. I'm not sure who the head scout was at that time, Brad Mcuen or Darren Kruger, but all you have to do is look at the players that went after him like Couzins, Robertson, Mutala, Korczak, etc to know that maybe they didn't do a good job of drafting.
It looks to me as a loyal fan that maybe they are trying to continue to be competitive in the Central Division as it has got a lot stronger. I agree with the poster who said that maybe they are both good players. And let's see what happens.
I thought it was announced that they got a pick also on the WHL site?

Anonymous said...

If they were both good players they would both be drafted by NHL teams (Williams soon will be) and both would have played in the Top prospect game.Last time I checked only one of them has those credentials.One year can make a big difference in development.Just because Williams isn’t lighting it up this year doesn’t mean you give up on the guy.I still think Williams will go to Edmonton and start lighting it up just like Haden is doing in Saskatoon.We trade away these kids and they instantly turn it around and become players in this league go figure.

Anonymous said...

Trading a guy who came into the year as a near lock to be a first round NHL pick for a guy who brings in his lunch bucket to the rink every day. Another day in the Clouston led Reign of Mediocrity.

Anonymous said...

As for the comment Williams will most likely be playing in the AHL at 20.That would mean you would still have Williams for 2 seasons (18 and 19).I much rather have a AHL player for 2 years then Kemp (19 and 20) for 2 years.We are comparing a projected 2nd round NHL pick to a player that was completely passed over in the NHL draft last year.They arnt on the same level at all.NHL scouts are legit and know a player when they see one, Clouston on the other had well lets not go there.

Unknown said...

Funny how Williams excelled at Hlinka and came to Med Hat and everything went south. And don't tell me he was good at Hlinka because of his linemates. That's just dumb. His Hlinka performance had him listed as a late first rounder by a number of well known hockey people including several well known draft blogs.

longtimefan said...

I to am disappointed they gave up on Williams in his 17 year old season. To me this has the possibility of blowing up in their faces if Josh turns into the goal scorer most scouts predicted he would eventually become when he was drafted. If he learns to do the one thing that good scorers do, the ability to find open ice, then this trade could be a disaster in the end. They got a decent player in return but the ceiling for Williams is certainly higher. I'm also flabbergasted that this was a one for one deal with no pick involved coming this way.

The thing that bugs me the most about this is there doesn't seem to be any long term plan to build a championship team here. Ownership and management seem content to make the playoffs, get a round or two and all is good. This trade was made for the simple reason they feel Kemp gives them a better chance than Williams to make this years playoffs. That's not the way to go about your business in my view and by the looks of the stands this year I'm not the only one that feels that way.

Anonymous said...

Williams has had numerous chances to turn his season around here. He’s got to play with decent linemeates at times. As far as I’m concerned it’s on him for not being able to turn his year around. I’m sure he will go on to be a great player in this league but from what I’ve seen he might not even go in the top two rounds. Coaching plays a part in players success but clouston isn’t the one playing the game. Williams is the guy on the ice that needs to make the improvements.

Anonymous said...

They had a team two seasons ago that was 2nd in the WHL regular season and a powerhouse offensively. They just ran into an opportunistic Hurricane team with a goalie who could steal games in round two.

That team was every bit good enough to win it all, but sometimes in sports things just don't go your way and they lost in game 7 OT.

The team next year is shaping up to be very strong once again, yet in the two "down" or "rebuilding" years they still have an above average team who plays playoff games.

Yet people complain haha. It's pretty comical really.

TigerTurf said...

@anon 9:41


I don't want to discredit your thoughts because they are valid....but here are some of my thoughts...

The reality is that all players develop at a different rate. Williams was one of the top skilled guys at that 2016 draft.

Williams development has been on a completely average and normal curve so far. Because his initial skill set was much higher than average he is still ahead of the game...
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We don't ultimately know when a player will breakout. Some players never do, some breakout at 19-20 like Mark Rassell. Some find their game after a trade

Williams hasn't shown signs he's ready to break out with the Tigers either. I'd make a case that his game was stagnating and that his positioning at the NHL draft was falling by the game and this trade is probably the best thing for him.

This trade could very well be the thing that bumps Wiliams off that stagnation platform. It could be the very trade that brings more passion and fight into his game that sets his career on a different path...a catch 22 for the Tigers indeed...but what would happen if he stagnated here for a couple more seasons?


Receiving a player that will boost the offense this season and next compared to a stagnating player with potential, will still boost the Tigers value in the long-run.
---

If the Tigers were not planning on having an up season next year, this trade would be Ill-advised as Williams potential would far outweigh anything else.



Anonymous said...

Clouston is that you??This conversation isn't about what they did in the playoffs 2 years ago.Its about poor asset management and the fact they traded a player with NHL potential for a player that was passed over by NHL teams.Looking forward to another first round exit this year!!!Bring back Willy!!!

Anonymous said...

We will see how stagnant Williams really is.My prediction is he goes on an absolute tear the rest of the season and we are left scratching our heads as to why he couldn't do that in the Hat.There is one reason why and Iam pretty sure we all know what that reason is.I will give you a hint it starts with a C.

Anonymous said...

The conversation always ends up with somebody complaining that the Tigers under Clouston never build a powerhouse, when in fact they have.

Anonymous said...

WHL trade rules are that to trade a signed 17 year old player he has to ask to be traded. The team cannot ask the player to accept a trade. In other words Williams was yet another player who wanted out of here. A change in GM and Coach is overdue. Being happy with average year after year has gotten old. Sometimes a change just needs to happen. You may take a step back at first but if you have a plan to succeed you will. We will never really do that with Clouston

Anonymous said...

I would like to point out that Brett Leason wasn't drafted either and how did that turn out for PA?

Anonymous said...

Most jr hockey fans attend games for two reasons:

To see a team get built into a champion or at least be a solid organization.
To see players get developed, drafted and at least, occasionally, become NHLers

Since getting the HC job after Willie left, I will give Clouston credit for building one good team. So, on the first point, he does get some cache. Still, they didn't win anything and so far, it's a one off.

But it's how he builds his teams that get me pis---. An over-reliance on older, slightly above average WHLers who generally have no real future as professionals. This is not what I want to watch. At least not year-after-year. Same type of older, smallish forwards like Hamblin, Jevne etc etc who are decent to good WHLers. There the type of players you'd never buy a ticket just to go see as they progress in their development. Players like Cozens, Leason, Dach and maybe even Josh Williams at some point in the future.

They are also not the type of players that will carry a team throughout the playoffs. Too small, too much perimeter play too much getting knocked off pucks as the year progresses. More skilled, bigger teams seem to easily dispatch the Tigers in the playoffs.

Also, people talk about him being, at best, an average coach and I agree with that. But what nobody talks about is that he is also an average GM. He rarely drafts elite players and when he does, they generally ask for a trade or get traded because they are underachieving.

Clouston has failed to build a good organization, it's a mediocre one. And he does not have the ability to draft or develop (coach) elite talent.

That's what Clouston brings every year. Be the same this year. Same next year. Groundhog Clouston.

Anonymous said...

Just to clarify one point in 7:27 post,

Should have read:
Players like Cozens, Leason, Dach and maybe even Josh Williams at some point in the future. Those are players people buy tickets to go see.

Anonymous said...

Annon 6:53...
Either 17 year olds have to request or accept a trade. Edmonton wasn't the only team trying to get Williams from the Tigers. Based on his current development in the Hat, I think this trade was best for him and the organization. It just wasn't working

Anonymous said...

Williams didn’t ask for a trade. He waived his no trade clause. Big Big difference.

longtimefan said...

For the umpteenth time, JOSH WILLIAMS DID NOT ASK FOR A TRADE? As explained before there are two ways a 17 year old can be traded 1) they initiate the trade request and 2) they waive the no trade clause which allows the team to deal him. Number 2 is what happened in this case.

Anonymous said...

Maybe do some research. Teams cannot make the first move with a 17 year old. The 17 year old must ask for a trade before the team can make a move.

There obviously was concern at the league level. In May, WHL commissioner Ron Robison told Brandon Rivers of dubnetwork.ca:

“We are looking at that very seriously. We were concerned about the level of trade activity this year. We will be coming out soon with a decision. We want to make sure that these players are not concerned about that at that age and we are focusing on restricting moving players at a younger age.”

Taking Note has been told that the league has decided that its teams won’t be allowed to trade any 15- or 16-year-old players who have signed WHL contracts. On top of that, the only time the trading of a 17-year-old player will be allowed is if that player has requested a trade.

The 17-year-old player will have had to approach the team’s general manager to ask for a trade; a team won’t be able to make the first move, asking said player to waive his no-trade clause. Taking Note was told that the WHL will approach a 17-year-old player’s parents to make sure the procedure was followed.

longtimefan said...

Anon11:50, your half right, you're missing the other half. I'm 100% correct and I have done my research.

Anonymous said...

Half right?

The 17-year-old player will have had to approach the team’s general manager to ask for a trade; a team won’t be able to make the first move, asking said player to waive his no-trade clause. Taking Note was told that the WHL will approach a 17-year-old player’s parents to make sure the procedure was followed.

That sentence voids your whole point..

Anonymous said...

I know the league realessed that statement but they made a mistake in their description. Longtime fan is correct and it’s been proven multiple times. I’ve heard other gms talk about it. I’m not sure if it’s just this season but 17 year olds can be moved and all they have to do is accept the deal. The player does not have to go to the team first.

longtimefan said...

Your right anon 12:14. There have been multiple trades with 17 year olds being moved. one example, the red deer Kootenay trade a while back. The players red deer moved fell into the same category and both waived the no trade clause.

Anonymous said...

I feel there is massive confusion on the rule. Found this from Alan C on WHL forums

Alan__C
Aug 28 '18 #5

Only applies if the player has a no-trade in his WHL deal. Basically the new rule prohibits teams from approaching 16 & 17 year olds about waiving their no-trade clauses if they have them. That is all. If you didn't get one in your contract, they can still trade you as before. Which makes sense.

I am given to understand that most players have no-trade protection. Certainly the top prospects and high draft picks have the leverage to request one and get it. The late round picks who are just happy to be given a shot at the Dub, maybe not as many of them get one because they don't have much leverage there.

I wonder if the new rule will make teams stingier about giving them out....since if you don't give a kid one, you can still trade him at the deadline if you're loading up.

I guess it depends on how much we research and how much we dig up from the poorly updated whl rule book haha..

Either way being a past Billet of about 6 years, I sometimes hate how people drop the “heard from
A billet” as far as I can remember players do talk at home. And being a billet family we didn’t say a word outside of the house. Then again this was back in the early 2000’s with less methods to spread news.

And with the new findings I apologize for telling you to do your research.

longtimefan said...

Actually I approached the billet (not his) and asked them about the rule about trading 17 year olds and they explained it to me. I asked and they answered, really don't see a problem with that.

TigerTurf said...

I believe longtimefan is right.

Boston Bilous was 17 and traded from Edmonton to Prince Albert.
Bryce Bader went from Calgary to PA (also 17)
Tyson Feist went from Spokane to Regina (17)


There is nothing in the news about those players demanding trades. It was poor communication by the whl to the fans on some of the more recent rules changes this year.

Anonymous said...

What was the Canalta Centre game attendance in Jan 11th Tigers vs Pats?

CatFan said...

For some reason the attendance for that game wasn't listed on the WHL site. However last night's game on a Saturday night against a division rival was 2983. Pretty pathetic.

TigerTurf said...

Seems like 2700-3100 is the new normal. We are so used to seeing 4006, but 1000 of those were just being eaten by the fans every year in the old arena.
------



New Guy Kemp
Very patient and controlled with the puck which I like. Lets the defender make the mistake if they aren't aggressive enough or too aggressive.

Skating does look relatively average and slightly below average defensively. Shot placement and accuracy also looks pretty high caliber.

Both games he played he had good chances to score.








Anonymous said...

I’m terms of kemp I really like his patience. He’s so calm (almost too calm). He’s going to help bring a lot of offence.
Would like to see his compete level be a little higher but first impressions were pretty good.

Anonymous said...

Why does nobody ever post when the Tigers are doing well?

TigerTurf said...

The hitmen lost one of their leading scorers. Jake Kryski is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury. I thought the Hitmen were poised to join the pack, but that is a tough loss for them. They are 0-3 since.

The central is crazy. 2 points is the difference between 1st place and the wildcard slot. To be fair, it feels like the higher seeds won't necessarily be favorites this season. It will be a dog fight to get into round 3.
-----

Tigers have captured 18 of 22 points since Christmas, which is an .818 winning percentage. This is common for an up and coming team, targetting next season, to get hot in the 2nd half. Commas.
---------

Here are some stats for player moves this season.

Williams 1 pt in 4 games
Kemp 3 points in 5 games. All goals
---
Jalen Price 6 points in 32 games for Everett
Dalton Gally 9 points in 36 games +0 rating for Kelowna
Jaeger White 40 points in 47 games for Kootenay
Gary Haden 36 points in 34 games for saskatoon.
Henrik Rybinksi has 7 points in 7 games for Seattle (all assists)
--------------------

Tigers will play Red Deer, Calgary, Edmonton, Lethbridge 11 times out of their remaining 22 games. The end of February sees them play 6 straight divisional games. Take some rest when you can get it, boys, it will be a marathon and not a sprint.
---

I feel that the Tigers assistant coach Ryan Smith has been an excellent pickup and instrumental in helping this team out positionally speaking. He's always talking to players after a shift.
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NHL entry Draft - NHL.com rankings.

Soogaard rated as the 3rd best goalie in North America
Josh Williams - Fell to the 67th spot/3rd round in North America
Henry Rybinksi - 129th /5th round rated In North America
Brett Kemp - Rated 156th overall 6th round (2nd time eligible) in North America
Vasili Podkolzin - Rated as the #2 /first round for international players.
It sounds like he may be too good to be in the WHL next season.


TigerTurf said...

https://www.nhl.com/news/jack-hughes-kaapo-kakko-top-central-scouting-midterm-rankings-for-2019-nhl-draft/c-304024912

Link to NHL central scouting rankings

TigerTurf said...

Lethbridge just took a massive blow to their team.

They lost their starting goaltending Liam Hughes who they just traded for at the deadline. Hughes decided to step away from hockey.
------

They now have 17yr old Carl Tetachuk with 16 games experience, and 16yr old call-up Bryan Thomson with 1 game experience as their goaltenders....

In a year where they gave up a lot of picks for some top quality 19's.....ouch

K Smart said...

Boys are playing well. Still not sure I agree with the Williams trade. I think Kemp is a good player but I think we lost this trade.
And can we not get Madds a proper painted helmet. Just bothers me that the guy is essentially our starter and he has some helmet with a sticker tiger on it!

TigerTales said...

All the best to Liam in the future. Will be interesting if Tetachuk can rise to the occasion? Somehow this must be Clouston's fault.

TigerTurf said...

lol

Such a weird year for the hurricanes.. Players getting burned in the off-season. Import goalie who was a 5th round NHL draft pick was cut. Their starter who they traded for left the team.


Made a big trade pre-emptively in the off-season for a memorial cup bid in 2020. The bid failed. The player they traded for has 17 points in 46 games, and the player they traded away is leading Kamloops in scoring at a PPG pace.

Made a big splash for Regina's top 2 scorers and now stuck with a very young tandem in net.
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3 way Tie for first in the Central, rebels are 1 point back. Crazy close this season.

TigerTales said...

I really thought the Canes would run away with it this year. The Oil Kings came as a surprise to me. I drive in to see them when I can especially when the Tigers are in town, although I missed the shootout win at the start of this run. They can score almost at will, but defensively are prone to mistakes and they run around chasing alot. Cozens is really a treat to watch, and the addition of the Pats stars has had impact from the start. Goaltending has been an adventure to be sure, almost comical at times. Now it is up to a kid from Pincher Creek to get them to the promised land it appears, unless there is some rule they can exploit to bring in more experience. Good to see the Tigers closing the gap in the standings. It keeps the naysayers at bay, and could keep them away from the Raiders in the early rounds. According to the box scores, they look like they tightened up defensively, which will do them well in the playoffs and their goaltending tandem have the ability to steal games they have no business winning. Should be a good run to the end. I think there are 2 games left in Lethbridge I can attend as I don’t get back to the Hat as often as I like.

TigerTurf said...

Was wondering, haven't seen your tag much lately.

I feel the hiring of Ryan Smith from swift current was a phenomenal move. The Tigers finally have a coach that fully understands the defensive side of the game. There have been defensive positional miscues that have happened continually in the past that no longer happen.

I feel that numerous players have improved positionally speaking and it had led to a more defensively reliable team. Also, strong goaltending has helped a lot too.
---------------
----------------

I feel Lethbridge was completely blinded by the memorial cup and made some bone-headed off-season moves.

I also don't understand why they bought more offense when they have given up the 4th most goals in the league. All they tried to improve was a minor upgrade in net.
------------

If the canes had drafted 2 19yr old euro's. Kept Zane Franklin. Got rid of Merehzko (20yr import) they could have added another Overage.

Brandon Schuldhaus was available for fairly cheap (2nd and a 5th) and drop merehzko.
Use some of those picks and players to pick up a goaltender, then re-evaluate at the trade deadline.

Mock Roster

Ross(PPG) Cozens(PPG) Elmer(PPG)
(Euro forward) Bellerive(PPG) Franklin(PPG)
Barlage Joseph(0.75) jeri-Leon(.5ppg)
Boyko Blocker Kolle

Prefontaine Koletrane
Adison SchuldhausOA
Cotton Jones (Euro Defencem)

Klassen
Tetachuk

Trade for a netminder. Klassen and Tetachuk fight for the backup.
Evaluate at the deadline. Maybe Leschyschyn is a good idea because he is a faceoff god

I'm drooling thinking of the potential team they could have had.That memorial cup blinded them..Having said that I'm disappointed the Tigers didn't try and bid. They would have been well equipped, a brand new arena...Would have immediately pumped up ticket sales...To me, they dropped the ball and it's a sign they will never host it here.
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I agree the Oil Kings were a bit of a surprise. Their GM made terrific off-season moves. Grabbed great value for dirt cheap. He didn't get blinded at the deadline and try to bolster. He kept with the rebuilding plan for 2 years down the road.
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The central is crazy close. It kinda feels good that my pre-season confusion was just an accurate synopsis for a very close division. 4 teams within a point. I almost hope it stays that way until the very end as it will make for an incredible finish.



CatFan said...

Nice that it is close but to me the hockey has been incredibly boring. Not enough emotion, not enough hitting, you name it. I think our goalies have gotten us to where we are. Our senior players have been crap lately. It also pisses me off that Clouston will put the same players out late in the game when we need a goal regardless of how they have been playing. We will never host a Cup, never win a Cup or an championship again with these owners and coaching staff.

Anonymous said...

Anyone know who picks the Tigers 3 stars? They've been a joke lately

Anonymous said...

In my opinion the biggest reason the games have been boring is that the team is lacking really high end talent. Hamblin is a good player but after that things fall of fairly quick. Not saying we have bad players but we don’t have enough guys that can make a difference. That’s junior hockey though, can’t be good every year year. Next year the team should be quite strong but maybe not a championship level team. Never know though, one year can make a big difference in the development of these kids.

TigerTurf said...

I think I see where you're coming from catfan.

At Home The swift current, and Edmonton home games were dry, so was the Moose Jaw game. Then you have Regina and Kootenay which are at the bottom of the league. So there is only 1 interesting home game out of the last 6.

However....

Some of their road games against Red Deer, Calgary and lethbdige were exhilarating. I'm not sure if you were able to watch those.
----------------------




I don't quite like the Brown, Kemp, Chyzowski line. It seems like whenever the Tigers have troubles getting out of their own zone that line is on the ice. The only guy who is producing is brown and both Chyz and Kemp aren't producing much. Kemp has slowed down since his quick start. Tigers need a bit more from him.

Not sure how they would re-arrange that though. I hear ostir is getting close, so his return may initiate a bit of a shakeup. I think Kemp might pair well with him, but who knows what the Tigers plan.

CatFan said...

I keep thinking I should just watch road games because they seem to save their best hockey for the road. Part of it is just the changes in hockey period, with no fighting, and very tame rivalries. It will never again be like the old days and I guess we just have to adjust our expectations to that.

TigerTurf said...

Well hopefully you didn't watch the Moose Jaw game, tigers were completely flat. They came out with a good first couple shifts, but after that, they had led feet and were very weak on the puck.

The only bright spot was the call-up Cole Sillinger. He was very very good to the point where the Tigers should have benched some players and double shifted him. He was the workhorse behind the Tigers first goal.

longtimefan said...

Still think it's going to come down to the wire whether this team makes the playoffs or not. Tomorrows game with Brandon is hugely important as well as the games they have left against Calgary. They aren't going to outskill anyone so any games without a full effort are most likely going to end up in losses.

Anonymous said...

Start playing tougher competition, giant FADE. This is not new. Same thing last year and year before that.. Play SC, REG and Ice, year and this team rocks. Clouston keeps his job coz he can consistently beat weak teams (and the Rebels for some reason).

Anonymous said...

Thought I'd do the math.
Record against hopeless Swift Current, Regina, Kootenay, Prince George and Kamloops. 13-1. Record against Red Deer, 5-0 for a total of 18-1.
Record against the rest of the league (ie the average to good teams except for the Rebels) 10-18-2-2

Anonymous said...

Correction, guess math wasn't my strong suit.

Record agains SC, REG, KOOT, PG, KAM and Red Deer 18-1
Record against remainder of league 9-17-2-2

Anonymous said...

https://www.ckom.com/2019/02/03/haden-shines-as-saskatoon-blades-split

TigerTurf said...

Glad to hear Haden is doing well. One of the rare times I supported a player coming out and asking for a trade because he wasn't being given a fair shake.
-------

On that note I see Rybinski has been doing well in Seattle. 12 assists and a goal in 14 games, with a plus 8 rating. They will face him this Saturday in Seattle.

Anonymous said...

Josh Williams 10 GP G3 A5 8PTS for Oil Kings after 21 PTS in 41 GP w/ Tigers. Williams not playing with Kings top players either, though is getting PP minutes.

Haden, Rybinski, Williams all vastly improved after moving on. I am not shocked.

Anonymous said...

Williams has actually played a few games on the top line with Fix-Wolansky.
Rybinski is playing top line in Seattle so it’s not surprising he has points but he only has 1 goal which is nothing spectacular.
Haden on the other hand found success in a new home so good for him. Too bad it wasn’t here. He maybe deserved a better look here but he may have got that if he stayed around longer.

Unknown said...

Don't know where you are getting your info, not accurate. He has played at least 80 per cent of the time w/ Souch as his LW and various C including Alistrov. Rarely playing with Fix-Wolansky who plays with Loschiavo as his C. Fix-Wolansky and Willliams are both RWs.

TigerTurf said...

I watched him play a little last night against PA, but I don't remember who he was paired with as I was watching some of PA's defenceman.

Well I can take a quick look at the +/- stats on the box-scores to see his linemates..


Williams has seen top line PP time with Trey-Fix, Loschiavo, Souch, McDonald as a 4 forward, 1 defenceman PP unit.... 4 of his 8 points in 11 games have come on the PP.

When he isn't on the powerplay the +/- shows him paired with
Williams/Souch/Keeler x3
williams/loschiavo/alistrov

This is just a small snapshot of his icetime history, just when points are scored and recorded on the game sheet.

Anonymous said...

According to the lineup cards he’s played the last 3 games with Fix Wolansky.

Unknown said...

So, he has played some w/ Fix Wolansky the last three games. The original post made it sound like he was doing well because he is on the first line and playing with one of the top offensive players in the league. That's not the case, though, he may be playing with Fix Wolansky lately. Likely was promoted to the top line because he was effective. Saw him play 2x with Kings (including televised game on Sportsnet) and he looked really good both occasions.

longtimefan said...

Say what you want about Clouston and the job he does but it would appear taking Sogaard in the import draft was a stroke of genius. Moved into the lead in save percentage with tonight's shutout.

Libertarian said...

Well I drove out on Thurs to the US Division from Brooks to see my Tigers all 3 games for this weekend. Just back from Angels of the Winds Arena...beautiful building! It took me 3 hrs to go 50 miles from my motel in Seatac... INSANE!!! I talked to Lockner's mom and brother who came in from Colorado before the game just inside the main doors. I literally had my seat beside the parents of Preziuso, Jevne, and Chyzowski in sec 108, an interesting take conversing with the parents of the Tigers never done that before outside of Linden. The capacity is 10000 but less than 4000 were at the game apparently frankly I don't think there were 3000. There has been an absolute insane snow storm all day that started just after 1 PM PST and has not let up, still going and it's now 1 AM PST. Sogaard was plain amazing yet again and we have him for at least 2 more seasons! Mark my words he will get drafted higher than people think and will turn pro when he's 20 you heard it here 1st, he's the real deal! What a FAR CRY from Hollett and Bullion. What a beautiful road game the team sold out tonight blocked alot of shots especially in the 3rd. The team most definitely has bought into Smith's coaching on D. This team with Sogaard has me believing they could surprise alot of people come playoff time. Anyway off to bed I will be back tomorrow night after the game in Kent it's nice that I'm only about 10 miles away. Cheers!

Anonymous said...

Sogaard is 18. He will be here this year and next year and that’s it. Whoever found out about him did a good job.

Libertarian said...

2 questionable goals in the 3rd to say the least by Hollett anyway got a point move on...

TigerTurf said...

Interesting read Libertarian, thanks for the info!!
-----------

Ridley interviewed a former Tiger during the Everett broadcast. ( I didn't listen to it so I might be screwing this up) but apparently, they coached Sogaard when he was younger. I Imagine he might have put out a good report. I also remember reading an article during the summer where Bobby Fox put a lot of work in identifying potential players.
--

In terms of the NHL draft, it's rare now that goalies go in the 1st round. the mock NHL draft sites lists sogaard as going in round 4, but I think he is more likely to go in round 2. If he doesn't go until round 3 or later I will be surprised.
----------

Tri-City did a very good job of finishing their checks. They threw quite a few hard hits and I thought the Tigers looked gassed in the 3rd period. Hopefully they still have some stamina for portland on Sunday.

The 2nd goal against Hollett was tough. He had his skate bumped into and it took away his balance. It was subtle and unfortunate, could have made a case for goaltender interference as the player was in the crease.

Rybinski I thought looked pretty good. Maybe playing with a bigger stronger team helped him pick up a few pointers on his balance
----------

TigerTurf said...

Nassen not out in the 3rd period against Portland. Not sure what happened to him. Hope its nothing serious

But wow, what a Road Trip! Taking 5 of 6 points. Tigers seem to play their best hockey on the road.

Libertarian said...

What a gutsy win tonight fricking cold with the humidity. Once they got their legs in the 2nd they were great. One word..."SOGAARD" damn this kid has got balls of steel. Nassen from my vantage point looks like he took a puck around the side armpit area very little padding there. Well anyway now for the LONG drive back to Brooks!!!

CatFan said...

Make that 7 out of 8 if you are counting the Kootenay game to start. Here I was hoping for at least a 2-2 split! Way to go guys, an impressive showing on a very tough trip.

longtimefan said...

Not a bad trip for a boring team that can't beat any of the leagues good teams.

Anonymous said...

Goaltending at its finest. 5 goals for in the last 3 games and found a way to get 5/6 points.

Anonymous said...

I think it's safe to say this season has already passed a lot of people's expectations. My only wish is that more people would come support this team before the playoffs start.

TigerTales said...

Tiger Turf Said: "Was wondering, haven't seen your tag much lately."

I come and go. I don't get to many games so I find it hard to comment about stuff that I'm not certain about. Also the armchair GM's that can only complain about Clouston and the Masers tend to keep a guy away. Can't wait to hear that they got a call to build a club and have it contend year after year. I hear the new Winnipeg team may be looking? Having been going to Lethbridge many times during their lean years, many fans told me to enjoy the competitiveness of the Tigers year in and year out. That is what they were all hoping and dreaming for. Feb 22 is the next date circled on my calendar. I hope Sogaard plays. Looks like the real deal, his Denmark stint at the WJ's not withstanding.

Anonymous said...

IF playoffs started today the Tigers would be playing Lethbridge in round 1.
How about a little revenge for 2017?

TigerTurf said...

The Tigers remind me a lot of the Lethbridge 2017 team.
Sometimes they get outplayed but they tend to stay in games and hang on. When they turn it up a notch they can create havoc against any team, but that doesn't always happen.
----

Nassen is listed as day to day with an upper-body injury.
Tigers also called up Damon Agyeman.

Looks like Joel Craven is out again. He played on the road and took a hit from the blindside into the boards. listed as out week to week. Seems to be a constant target of borderline hits.

Ostir is still listed as out week to week.
----------------


8 of their next 10 games are against divisional opponents.
3x Calgary
2x Edmonton
3x Lethbridge

longtimefan said...

Ostir skated for a bit today by himself. Looked like it may have been the first time since his injury because he was pretty tentative.

Craven's injury is listed as upper body and if it is another concussion (I'm guessing) then I believe we've seen the last of him in a WHL uniform.

longtimefan said...

Confirmed that Joel's injury is another concussion. I hope he and his family come to the decision not to play again. He's 18 and has his whole life ahead of him, time to move on.

TigerTurf said...

That is sad news to hear. I also agree with you longtimefan.

I'm highly concerned about him and his health as well. Even when he is playing his balance looks completely shot and he has been falling down in spots where he shouldn't.


That makes me concerned about his well being. I hope they go to visit a specialist, even if this concussion is deemed as minor. Taking multiple concussions in only 2 years isn't good for his long-term health. The last thing anybody wants is a lawsuit or irreparable long-term damage.

Libertarian said...

Craven...poor kid I had high hopes for him. On the road trip I did notice that he was losing edges on cuts he normally makes which had me wondering if the ice was bad but when nobody else seemed to struggle in the corner, thought there was more to it.

TigerTurf said...

It's the 4th concussion in 2 years that we know about. It's the balance issues on ice that concerns me. It's like he has vertigo or something.

I've noticed multiple times in games where Craven would fall. I remember one play in particular where Craven hurridly tried to turn around to prevent a breakaway. He tripped and looked to hit his head on the ice and the opposing team got a breakaway. I believe that was his first concussion for this season.

You wonder what would have been different if Barrett Sheen hadn't laid out that nasty hit to the head last year against Moose Jaw. At that point, he was looking like he'd turn out to be a pretty powerful offensive type defenceman. It makes me angry to think that goon only got 5 games, then went on to have a handful more suspensions afterward.

He hasn't been the same player since that hit. Every time he has returned, he's looked tentative, trying to catch up to the speed of play and has balance issues.



Anonymous said...

Rybinski 2G 1A and seven shots last night. Now has 4G 14A 18Pts in 20 games with Seattle. But not good enough to play here. Too young. To play on Tigers, you have to 19 or 20 and aspire to play CND university hockey.

Anonymous said...

Rybinski WAS good enough to play here but as a center he was stuck on the 3rd line behind Hamblin and Chyzowski and not just this season but next season as well. So he forced his way out. Not much Clouston could do about that, the kid didn't want to play wing or 3rd line C.

K Smart said...

Tigers had a great US road trip but since then have been pathetic. I have to admit we have no jump, our systems are failing, it seems they are not buying in. Can we not CHANGE THE COASH??? Why are Masers so ok with having an average at best team year in and out. Why? The fan numbers are dwindling, interest of those remaining in the stands is also dwindling. When will change come? Masers can do so obtuse that they don’t know we, the fans, all despise Clouston!

Anonymous said...

I have never commented on here before but I feel I need to comment on what K Smart just stated. First of all, you do not speak for everyone so quit stating things like "we, the fans"...! Secondly, the Tigers are NOT playing "pathetic" they are playing a strong game every game and yes I watched the game today on WHL Live. You seem to really dislike Clouston and you are entitled to your opinion but again, you do not speak for all Tiger's fans. I really like Clouston and the rest of the coaching staff. They are amazing coaches and mentors for those boys! Your negativity is terrible and it is not helping at all. Do you realize that some of the boys on this team read this blog? Picture this....they are already feeling down after working their hearts out today riding home on the bus from Edmonton and they read from you "a fan" that they played "pathetic"..... Please stop trying to bring the team down - instead maybe try focusing your energy on lifting them up and encouraging them. This "Mama Bear" has great pride in this team and I will cheer them on win or lose. GO TIGERS!

Anonymous said...

Mama Bear, they are not pathetic, but most of the Tigers' successes under Clouston come against teams that ARE pathetic. The wins against the better teams are rare and generally occur when the team's goaltender of the day stands on his head. Go through the archives on the WHL website and this has been the case for a long time. I went back three seasons including this one. They're a lot worse than their record indicates, unfortunately. A team built to consistently beat pathetic teams that gets outclassed by better teams. This is what they are and if you look carefully and examine closely, you cannot argue otherwise.

Anonymous said...

The team is hurting to score goals. High end talent isn’t there. Not sure we can blame clouston. Seems to me the scouts just haven’t been finding as many high quality players over the last few years, It happens. We have some decent players but haven’t found any real gems the last few years in the later rounds.

CatFan said...

I'm a little worried about Soogard. His last two games haven't been that great. We rely on our goalies so heavily that when they are off it is pretty hard to win.

longtimefan said...

I agree with anon 8:36. If you look at the rosters in the central division other than Kootenay the Tigers have less high end skill players than any of the other teams. The inability to score is coming to the forefront coming down the stretch where it gets tougher to find goals. Power play goals are a must with this team, if they don't get them they won't win because five on five they don't match up as good with most of their opponents.

I said a while back when they had an 11 point lead on the last wild card team that I thought it was still going to come down to the wire and it looks like that's going to be the case.

K Smart said...

The tigers don’t have high end talent maybe because they are not drafting as well, yes, but some of the talent they do get is leaving the team because of the coach. So I do think the coach is the problem.

Anonymous said...

The thing here is though, this is a business. IT doesn't matter if your kid likes playing for the coach, Mamabear, if the team is not producing and putting bums in the seats, something has to change. The fans have not been showing up for some time, mostly after their move to Canalta because people complained it was too far from town. If the team was putting an exciting product on the ice, they would go. I feel bad for the boys on this team because they do work hard, but.... if it's not working, you have to change it. The owners don't seem to care about the team. The marketing for games and the merchandise available for sale is pathetic. They are content with things running as they always have and as a result, they have produced a disgruntled fan base (excluding the player's family and friends of course).

Anonymous said...

Clouston gave endless opportunity to Williams and they finally mutually agreed a trade would be better. This was going on for a while as Williams thought/blamed his lack of success on the fact that he had no one to set him up. We received Kemp back who will be another .5-6 point per game player. He is soft just like Williams. Its a nothing trade and didn't hurt or help us.

Losing Haden and Rybinksi is another story. Both deserved an opportunity with the Tigers but both were buried in the Bottom 6 as utility players behind the likes of Williams, Brown, Ostir and even Chyzowski. Too bad! I hope they continue to excel just to prove Clouston made the wrong choice in his trade and how he gives current players opportunity. Wish we had a Mulligan on these two kids.

Until a new era starts without Clouston we will watch his ego make player decisions and irrational arrogance continue to not care about entertaining the fan base. Too bad as this is such a storied team!

Anonymous said...

Tough to blame clouston for Rybinski. From what I’ve heard his parents are the reason this happened. We got a stellar return for him so I won’t complain. Either way Kemp should put up some fairly big numbers next year. I don’t agree with everything clouston does but Haden still got chancesin his 9 games. He started the year on the 1st line and got PP time. Unfortunately for us he didn’t produce but he is for another team.

TigerTurf said...

The new Injury report is out yesterday. Joel Craven is listed as Upper Body, season-ending. Wish the best for him and his recovery!

Ryan Jevne is also listed as out week to week with an upper-body injury...That is not good news for the Tigers.

Hayden Ostir is listed as out day to day so that is good news.

Anonymous said...

If Anon 11:21PM is correct and Williams thought he didn't have anyone to set him up here, he is ridiculous. He was playing with Hamblin who set up the majority of Rassell's 50 goals last season. Granted Hamblin has taken on a new role and has been scoring more goals this season but he is one hell of a playmaker

But I disagree that Kemp and Williams are the same level player. Kemp hasn't scored as often as I expected when we first got him, but he is looking more comfortable and confident out there each game. I think the trade was unexpected for him and playing his former team twice right after messed with his head but he is finding his way and I expect we will see some big things out of him.

In terms of Haden, he did start the season on the first line and when he wasn't producing and was dropped, instead of working hard to earn his spot back he asked out, which to me is crazy that players can do that. Good for him that he has found success somewhere else but if he would have stuck to it, he could have worked his way back to the top line here.

ILPAKB said...

The Craven injury is likely a career ender. Digusting that someone like Sheen is still playing hockey.

longtimefan said...

Real good chance they could fall out of a playoff spot by the end of next week. Can’t beat anyone within the division, goaltending has been average and special teams poor.

Anonymous said...

Thank the coach/gm for his player moves and direction of scouting staff

TigerTurf said...

Red Deer is also falling quite rapidly, but the Tigers are definitely in danger of missing the playoffs too.
---------
9th game in a row where they've scored 3 goals or less. I was going to post this before the weekend but didn't

I think they need to go work on some set offensive plays down low. Back to basics.
I'm watching them on the webcast and their shots look very predictable. I see the goalies are reading their prime chances in the slot quite easily...

Tigers are essentially framing where they are shooting and they don't have hard enough shots in order to beat goalies cleanly.

The only player that can flat out beat a set goaltender is Ryan Jevne and he's injured.
---

I think they need to work on set plays that are designed to get off a shot of quick. Or work on throwing in some leg kicks/fakes/changing the angle/looking glove and shooting stick...Find ways to get the goalie moving.

I think once their offense starts showing up their goaltending will go back to their regular above average play naturally. Right now there is a ton of pressure that they need to be brick walls to win.

CatFan said...

We need to miss the playoffs and then maybe these owners will get off their asses and fire Clouston. I keep hearing stories of player abuse (emotional, if not physical) and it is starting to show. The younger players are not developing and his trades this year have been bad if not horrible. I am tired of the same old, same old. The fan base is shrinking, the building is dead. I have heard that they are down 1,000 in season tickets from last year, and have heard many people say they won't be renewing. Do we have to go the way of the Ice before anything gets done??

Anonymous said...

The owners will do nothing

Anonymous said...

Is it just me or is it boring hockey to watch? Every shift is predictable. Dump it in, line change, fight to get it back only to dump it in for another line change!
The drop pass on every power play? It is ridiculous, never EVER works and yet they continue to do it?
Definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expect different results. It is so hard to sit in the stands for 3 periods watching the same failing plays.
We have started to skip games because of it even though we are season ticket holders and the ticket was paid for.
Side note, we cant even give the tickets away. Nobody is interested anymore.

Anonymous said...

MAYBE A FAN WALKOUT IS REQUIRED TO WAKE THE OWNERSHIP UP?

Anonymous said...

Offense is below average. Down year in that area compared to years passed. Can’t win games only scoring a few goals a game. Simple as that. We’ve been pretty spoiled in years past in terms of always having a guy or two who could fill the net.

Anonymous said...

The tigers are no longer fun to watch. The frustration of watching a bunch of kids with often lots of talent being coached by a guy who is not capable to getting anywhere near the talent out of them is wearing on me. The tigers are the new hurricanes. Boring, bad ownership, bad coaching and frankly, just a bunch of guys who dont want to be there. I really hope the owners wake up.

Anonymous said...

Yes they are

TigerTurf said...

Attendance seems relative steady this season. It's probably the same amount of people as before the move...just the fans aren't eating all those extra tickets up.
--------

How is the drop pass a bad thing? It's designed to deaden the oppositions speed.
opponents are standing still at their blueline where an oncoming forward has a full head of steam. Either dumping the puck and having forwards taking advantage of defenceman standing still or skating the puck into the zone when defenders are not standing still are both advantageous.

Teams are adapting to it and have backup plans, but it can still be fairly effective due to it killing speed.
--------
To be honest, their games at home have been really lackluster, but their road games have been very interesting to watch. Even though their record is better at home, I feel they are a better road team as of late.
------

Lethbridge a couple years ago had one of the best records in the 2nd half, before embarking on a long losing streak before the playoffs hit. That year they made it to round 3. If the Tigers can find ways to score again it's not like they are a terrible team. They can be a big pain in the ass when everything is working.

Their powerplay dried up the same time as their overall offense, so hopefully they can find some ways to create some sparks.

TigerTurf said...

Ug tonight wasn't a good night...Everyone got points except the Tigers.
Pointswise the Tigers occupy the last playoff spot but winning percentage wise the Tigers are out of the playoff picture.

8th spot is almost as bad as missing the playoffs, then again They've had troubles with Edmonton so 7th isn't going to be fun either. Reaching the 3rd spot in the division is still do-able but not easy.
----

The good news is that the Tigers control their own fate.
SC - Home
Calgary - Home
Lethbridge - Road
Brandon - Home
Red Deer - Home
Kootenay - Road
Lethbridge - Home

CatFan said...

Let's face it they are not going to beat anyone no matter who they meet in the playoffs (if they make it). For the first time ever I'm not sure I would pay for playoff tickets this year. I am tired of the status quo mentality of the ownership and the inability of the coaching and scouting staff to adjust their mindset as to what constitutes a winning team. It is time for change and the fans have to be very vocal as to what they expect. If that means an empty arena at playoff time, so be it. I feel very sorry for the players though, they don't deserve this.

Anonymous said...

I think they haven’t drafted enough skill lately in the draft. I remember people were super exited about the 2000 and 2001 group because we finally drafted a bit of size. That hasn’t exactly worked out real well. I realize some things have happened since then but go back and look at the guys they drafted in the last 3-4 years. Not a lot of high end guys. Maybe it’s poor scouting or maybe it’s been some bad luck. Reality is junior hockey relies on the draft and finding good players. In my memory I can’t remember a time when we have had so many players that originally came from other teams.

TigerTurf said...

The Tigers do have one of the better prospects in the league coming up next season with Cole Sillinger. He looks to be one of those rare players that will make an immediate impact. (The guy who scored 4 goals in 5 games during exhibition this year. As a 15 He tore up the midget AAA's in Saskatchewan. Won the scoring title with an 11 pt lead competing against kids who were 17)

His Midget AAA team is poised for a long playoff run.

------

With the Tigers roster, I see multiple players stalling......In a regular development curve you see a relatively steady increase in production. Lockner, Brown, Christensen( as a replacement for Haden) + Chyzowski, Ostir have flatlined.....could arguably throw in kemp for williams..... That's 5-6 players.

The reason Brandon came from nowhere 2 seasons ago, is because they had a ton of their players flatline for a season and all of them had banner seasons the following year.
It's easy to predict a team will be good when they are playing well, it's much more difficult to predict a team not playing well to step up a grade. I still feel there is potential there with some tweaks and a good off-season.
---------

Brown Hamblin Prezuiso
Kemp Chyzowski Ostir/christensen
Lockner Sillinger Hopwo
McCarry Steele Wilms
Danielson
xxxx

Clayton Baker
Longo van Impe
Agyman xxx
krebs

Sogaard
Brorklund

Extra's
+1 Euro Selection,
Trade Bait (Hollet, Christensen/ostir)

I still see a bunch of potential.
----------------


This next game against calgary....it's a must win if they want 3rd place.

Anonymous said...

Couldn’t agree more about guys flattening out. Lockner, Ostir and Brown all showed some potential last year and things unfortunately didn’t keep trending up. Anderson and Steele in my opinion are just filling a spot. Both guys are 18 and don’t bring anything special to the team.
Sillinger should bring some much needed excitement to next years team.

Anonymous said...

It's a combination of poor scouting and drafting under the direction of the current gm. Most teams have 10 to 13 scouts we have 6 listed on the Tigers webpage if you count the color guy with Bob on the radio.

Anonymous said...

It took everything they had to take down swift. looks like we're getting outcoached at every turn.

Anonymous said...

When we moved to Medicine Hat 10 years ago one of the things we were really excited about was getting the chance to watch the Tigers. The Tigers have had a lot of success since then and yet when I read this blog I honestly cannot believe the negativity towards the organization. People get on here and just say the ugliest things hoping the team will lose. The City built the new Canalta Centre in my time here and it is a great facility so I can't understand people's attitudes of suggesting they shouldn't go to games and not support the team. Anyway, just my thoughts on supporting your local team sports.

Central Ab fan said...

What happened to Brett Kemp? Havent seen him for a number of games.
As well, is Brown hurt again?
Thanks.

TigerTurf said...

Kemp was injured but played last night.
Brown is also injured but now listed as day to day.