Deep Thoughts • 14/11/2017
Deep Thoughts Twitter - November 14th 2017 - OHL Thoughts & 2018 NHL Draft Rankings
Deep Thoughts
With
Mark Seidel
Deep Thoughts: Welcome to another Deep Thoughts which represent my PERSONAL views & don’t reflect ANY Organization that I work with! For the record, I HATE this 280 character change but in a few of these, I use them all. I’m a weak man. #WhenInRome
DT: I’m still shocked that Don Cherry isn’t in the Hall of Fame. He is rough around the edges but not many have done more to help Canadian hockey, promote the game, inspire young people AND be a media sensation!
DT: A concept that has bothered me for years is that starting goaltenders need to sit for 20 games a season. Why? A star Defenceman plays 22 minutes a night, gets smashed around, blocks shots & skates miles while playing every game ...Con't...
DT: The goaltender doesn’t skate a lot, never gets touched & the equipment is so good that they rarely take it in a soft spot and they are arguably, your most important player! In the grueling NHL playoffs, they play generally every 2nd day for 2 months but with only 1 goalie!
DT: Sean Durzi of Owen Sound is the most improved player in all of the CHL. The coaching change allowed him to release the shackles & become dominant. He will be a selection in the 2018 Draft despite being a 98 birthdate.
DT: Can Aaron Luchuk get some love? This kid has scored 20 & we haven’t hit the American Thanksgiving. A 13th round pick, he got coached up in his first year bigtime under Bill Bowler in Lasalle & got better & was patient. Every year since he keeps improving. #MarathonNotASprint
DT: I thought last summer that Brady Tkachuk would be in London but I was wrong & he went to B.U but the constant chatter is that he may end up in London after all. He’ll be a Top 5 pick in June & sign a contract so if it happens(and I’m convinced it will), it makes sense.
DT: Jay Varady, the new Coach in Kingston has done a very good job. He has paid his dues and learned the ropes over 17 years & he is doing a masterful job in Kingston. The roster isn’t great but him & his staff have made them a very tough out that plays with structure and poise.
DT: It will be interesting to see which teams decide to go all in as we head toward the OHL Trade Deadline. I’m assuming SSM, Sarnia, Mississauga, Owen Sound, London(yes London…add Tkachuk & look at their core) & Peterborough but each have some holes to fill so the deadline should be fun!
DT: Barrie is in an interesting situation because they are playing great & they likely won’t get Svechnikov back next year so maybe they add big pieces but the rest of that core is young & will be even better next year when all of their young guys should take a step forward!
DT: Teams like Ottawa, Niagara, Oshawa, Hamilton & Guelph are all supposed to be very good next year so they might be patient but it will certainly be tempting to add some pieces and take a shot this year to get some playoff experience for a major run next year.
DT: Speaking of Barrie, the owner, management & coaching staff should take a bow & other teams should take a lesson in rebuilding. They knew they weren’t good last year & ACCEPTED it, so they sold older guys, utilized Euro picks, opened up spots for younger guys & made their kids better! #ItsNotRocketScience
DT: Another team that is in a tough spot are the Sudbury Wolves. Cory Stillman has them playing as hard as anyone in the League but they have been absolutely decimated by injuries so do they wait until those guys return to see what they have or do they move older guys with an eye to the future.
DT: At the Under 17’s, the team with the most talent was arguably the Russians. They have some high end players but in the playoffs, they lost to the struggling Czech’s. We’ve seen this movie before. #IndividualNotTeam
DT: The 3 Canadian teams put on a good showing but can we please revert back to geographic teams. IF they want 3 teams (Which I don’t), they should have a Western, Central & Eastern Team so that there is a CHANCE those teams might have chemistry.
DT: The early favorite for the 2019 NHL Draft is Jack Hughes. His brother, Quinton, will be a Top 10 pick in this year’s draft & Jack is even better. He lit up the Under 17 and is built for the new NHL with skill, speed and creativity. That Draft is still 20 months away but Jack Hughes is the clubhouse leader now.
DT: As for this year, here is our new Top 35: 1.R.Dahlin 2.A.Svechnikov 3.B.Tkachuk 4.F. Zadina 5.Q.Hughes 6.A.Boqvist 7.J.McIsaac 8.J.Veleno 9.B.Wilde 10.T. Smith 11.O.Wahlstrom 12.J.Olofsson 13.J.Kotkaniemi 14. BO.Groulx 15.N.Dobson 16.R.Kupari 17.B.Hayton
DT: 18.A.McShane 19.G.Denisenko 20.T.Dellandrea 21.R.Sandin 22.C.Hillis 23.A.Khovanov 24.J.Mcbain 25.A.Thomas 26.S.Noel 27.I.Lundestrom 28.R.Damiani 29.R.Mcleod 30.L.Wernblom 31.E.Bouchard 32.J.Farabee 33.K.Hrabik 34.J.Woo 35.K.Bahl
DT: Some guys that are racing up the list include Milos Roman, Mattias Samuelsson, Kody Clark, Damien Giroux, Alex Gravel, Sean Durzi, Nando Eggenberger, Carter Robertson & Dmitri Zavgorodny.
DT: I wrote an article on Minor Hockey in Sudbury & the response has been dramatic with hundreds of calls, texts & emails but unless something gets done to improve things, it will all be for naught. Let your voices be heard! http://www.thesudburystar.com/2017/10/30/seidel-minor-hockey-structure-hurting-kids
With
Mark Seidel
Deep Thoughts: Welcome to another Deep Thoughts which represent my PERSONAL views & don’t reflect ANY Organization that I work with! For the record, I HATE this 280 character change but in a few of these, I use them all. I’m a weak man. #WhenInRome
DT: I’m still shocked that Don Cherry isn’t in the Hall of Fame. He is rough around the edges but not many have done more to help Canadian hockey, promote the game, inspire young people AND be a media sensation!
DT: A concept that has bothered me for years is that starting goaltenders need to sit for 20 games a season. Why? A star Defenceman plays 22 minutes a night, gets smashed around, blocks shots & skates miles while playing every game ...Con't...
DT: The goaltender doesn’t skate a lot, never gets touched & the equipment is so good that they rarely take it in a soft spot and they are arguably, your most important player! In the grueling NHL playoffs, they play generally every 2nd day for 2 months but with only 1 goalie!
DT: Sean Durzi of Owen Sound is the most improved player in all of the CHL. The coaching change allowed him to release the shackles & become dominant. He will be a selection in the 2018 Draft despite being a 98 birthdate.
DT: Can Aaron Luchuk get some love? This kid has scored 20 & we haven’t hit the American Thanksgiving. A 13th round pick, he got coached up in his first year bigtime under Bill Bowler in Lasalle & got better & was patient. Every year since he keeps improving. #MarathonNotASprint
DT: I thought last summer that Brady Tkachuk would be in London but I was wrong & he went to B.U but the constant chatter is that he may end up in London after all. He’ll be a Top 5 pick in June & sign a contract so if it happens(and I’m convinced it will), it makes sense.
DT: Jay Varady, the new Coach in Kingston has done a very good job. He has paid his dues and learned the ropes over 17 years & he is doing a masterful job in Kingston. The roster isn’t great but him & his staff have made them a very tough out that plays with structure and poise.
DT: It will be interesting to see which teams decide to go all in as we head toward the OHL Trade Deadline. I’m assuming SSM, Sarnia, Mississauga, Owen Sound, London(yes London…add Tkachuk & look at their core) & Peterborough but each have some holes to fill so the deadline should be fun!
DT: Barrie is in an interesting situation because they are playing great & they likely won’t get Svechnikov back next year so maybe they add big pieces but the rest of that core is young & will be even better next year when all of their young guys should take a step forward!
DT: Teams like Ottawa, Niagara, Oshawa, Hamilton & Guelph are all supposed to be very good next year so they might be patient but it will certainly be tempting to add some pieces and take a shot this year to get some playoff experience for a major run next year.
DT: Speaking of Barrie, the owner, management & coaching staff should take a bow & other teams should take a lesson in rebuilding. They knew they weren’t good last year & ACCEPTED it, so they sold older guys, utilized Euro picks, opened up spots for younger guys & made their kids better! #ItsNotRocketScience
DT: Another team that is in a tough spot are the Sudbury Wolves. Cory Stillman has them playing as hard as anyone in the League but they have been absolutely decimated by injuries so do they wait until those guys return to see what they have or do they move older guys with an eye to the future.
DT: At the Under 17’s, the team with the most talent was arguably the Russians. They have some high end players but in the playoffs, they lost to the struggling Czech’s. We’ve seen this movie before. #IndividualNotTeam
DT: The 3 Canadian teams put on a good showing but can we please revert back to geographic teams. IF they want 3 teams (Which I don’t), they should have a Western, Central & Eastern Team so that there is a CHANCE those teams might have chemistry.
DT: The early favorite for the 2019 NHL Draft is Jack Hughes. His brother, Quinton, will be a Top 10 pick in this year’s draft & Jack is even better. He lit up the Under 17 and is built for the new NHL with skill, speed and creativity. That Draft is still 20 months away but Jack Hughes is the clubhouse leader now.
DT: As for this year, here is our new Top 35: 1.R.Dahlin 2.A.Svechnikov 3.B.Tkachuk 4.F. Zadina 5.Q.Hughes 6.A.Boqvist 7.J.McIsaac 8.J.Veleno 9.B.Wilde 10.T. Smith 11.O.Wahlstrom 12.J.Olofsson 13.J.Kotkaniemi 14. BO.Groulx 15.N.Dobson 16.R.Kupari 17.B.Hayton
DT: 18.A.McShane 19.G.Denisenko 20.T.Dellandrea 21.R.Sandin 22.C.Hillis 23.A.Khovanov 24.J.Mcbain 25.A.Thomas 26.S.Noel 27.I.Lundestrom 28.R.Damiani 29.R.Mcleod 30.L.Wernblom 31.E.Bouchard 32.J.Farabee 33.K.Hrabik 34.J.Woo 35.K.Bahl
DT: Some guys that are racing up the list include Milos Roman, Mattias Samuelsson, Kody Clark, Damien Giroux, Alex Gravel, Sean Durzi, Nando Eggenberger, Carter Robertson & Dmitri Zavgorodny.
DT: I wrote an article on Minor Hockey in Sudbury & the response has been dramatic with hundreds of calls, texts & emails but unless something gets done to improve things, it will all be for naught. Let your voices be heard! http://www.thesudburystar.com/2017/10/30/seidel-minor-hockey-structure-hurting-kids
Sports. Stories. Honesty. Unbiased.
Back to Archive