I'm not quite sure the genesis of it, but several people have floated Chicago Wolves coach John Anderson's name today as a potential replacement for Bob Hartley. I'll go on record as saying that I find it much more likely that Wolves GM Kevin Cheveldayoff would be hired by the Thrashers organization in some capacity down the road than Anderson. Chevy is the guy "driving the bus" so to speak in Chicago's success, and has recently drawn NHL interest. Anderson usually has a lot of talent to work with, with one reason being that Chicago outspends most teams (no salary cap in the AHL). Add to that the fact that Hartley and Anderson are a little too close in approach to make for a fresh change.
I'd be happy to admit I'm wrong if it came to pass, but I don't think there's much chance of Anderson in Atlanta.
Edit to add: The research of ESPN's Scott Burnside (an Atlanta resident) brings him to the same conclusion.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Bonne nuit, Bob Hartley
Five years ago, in December 2002, Bob Hartley was fired as coach of the Colorado Avalanche when his intense methods were no longer working with Avalanche players.
History repeated itself in Atlanta today, as Hartley was again shown the door by the Atlanta Thrashers, and the reasons he wore out his welcome were fundamentally the same.
"Uncle Bob's" hard-nosed, structured methods can be off-putting. His touch -- not very light. He about X's and O's, more X's and O's, and if that's not working, even more X's and O's. He over-coached players on small details, which probably made them think too much during games.
Some players were harshly criticized, while others probably more deserving, were not. A workable goaltender rotation, something he didn't have to worry much about in Colorado, was never something he figured out in Atlanta.
(Note: Scott Burnside's 2003 article on Hartley goes over some of this terrain, with very telling quotes from players.)
Hartley entered the 2007-08 season on a short leash, after the Thrashers were swept in the playoffs last April.
The 0-6 start was ugly. The energy level of the team was low. Special teams, which most agree are almost purely a function of coaching strategy, were very bad. Other team strategies didn't seem to fit the make up of the team, like dumping and chasing the puck by small and skilled forwards.
Worse, Hartley couldn't get along with the team's star players.
Overall, he didn't make the team want to follow him into battle. Demonstration: The team had a winning record during preseason, as player jockeyed for roster spots. But after their internal motivation subsided, they flattened out.
In light of all this, Hartley's firing was certainly the right move, and in fact probably overdue. The change should make a huge difference in the mood of the team, and give them the lift to succeed.
But like at a funeral, you feel obligated to say something nice about the departing. I have three nice things I'll say about Hartley from my dealings with him. One, he was always extremely professional. He understood that the media had a job to do, would give you his full attention and would explain things until questions were satisfied. (Well, sometimes he would avoid questions he didn't want to answer by talking about something unrelated, but that's his prerogative and it's our job to catch it and get him back on topic.) Two, in the aftermath of Dan Snyder's death, Hartley held the locker room together in a time of grief. He played the role of healer on a broader scale for the community as well. He could have easily shrunk into the background, being relatively new to the organization, but he stepped up and said all the right things to help people at all levels get through it. Three, he was fun to talk to. He liked to insert jokes into his responses, which made for a good quote. I'll miss those aspects of Uncle Bob.
The best choice for new coach right now would be someone who is more of a players' coach, like when his assistant coach, Tony Granato, followed Hartley's tenure in Colorado. A players' coach usually appeals more to emotions, a rah-rah guy. It sounds like an easy thing, but getting the formula just right is tough.
There are 76 more games to play -- but finding the right new leader should take as much time as it takes.
History repeated itself in Atlanta today, as Hartley was again shown the door by the Atlanta Thrashers, and the reasons he wore out his welcome were fundamentally the same.
"Uncle Bob's" hard-nosed, structured methods can be off-putting. His touch -- not very light. He about X's and O's, more X's and O's, and if that's not working, even more X's and O's. He over-coached players on small details, which probably made them think too much during games.
Some players were harshly criticized, while others probably more deserving, were not. A workable goaltender rotation, something he didn't have to worry much about in Colorado, was never something he figured out in Atlanta.
(Note: Scott Burnside's 2003 article on Hartley goes over some of this terrain, with very telling quotes from players.)
Hartley entered the 2007-08 season on a short leash, after the Thrashers were swept in the playoffs last April.
The 0-6 start was ugly. The energy level of the team was low. Special teams, which most agree are almost purely a function of coaching strategy, were very bad. Other team strategies didn't seem to fit the make up of the team, like dumping and chasing the puck by small and skilled forwards.
Worse, Hartley couldn't get along with the team's star players.
Overall, he didn't make the team want to follow him into battle. Demonstration: The team had a winning record during preseason, as player jockeyed for roster spots. But after their internal motivation subsided, they flattened out.
In light of all this, Hartley's firing was certainly the right move, and in fact probably overdue. The change should make a huge difference in the mood of the team, and give them the lift to succeed.
But like at a funeral, you feel obligated to say something nice about the departing. I have three nice things I'll say about Hartley from my dealings with him. One, he was always extremely professional. He understood that the media had a job to do, would give you his full attention and would explain things until questions were satisfied. (Well, sometimes he would avoid questions he didn't want to answer by talking about something unrelated, but that's his prerogative and it's our job to catch it and get him back on topic.) Two, in the aftermath of Dan Snyder's death, Hartley held the locker room together in a time of grief. He played the role of healer on a broader scale for the community as well. He could have easily shrunk into the background, being relatively new to the organization, but he stepped up and said all the right things to help people at all levels get through it. Three, he was fun to talk to. He liked to insert jokes into his responses, which made for a good quote. I'll miss those aspects of Uncle Bob.
The best choice for new coach right now would be someone who is more of a players' coach, like when his assistant coach, Tony Granato, followed Hartley's tenure in Colorado. A players' coach usually appeals more to emotions, a rah-rah guy. It sounds like an easy thing, but getting the formula just right is tough.
There are 76 more games to play -- but finding the right new leader should take as much time as it takes.
Greener pastures not often so for players
Former Thrashers draft pick Mike Vannelli was sent down to Wheeling of the ECHL yesterday after failing to crack the Philadelphia Phantoms roster as a rookie. This is ironic, given that Vannelli decided not to sign with the Thrashers after graduating from the Univ. of Minnesota, in order to seek out greener pastures (in more ways than one). It would be hard to argue that what he found was greener. The scenery in West Virginia is lovely, but it's not a hockey destination.
Vannelli's situation is something I've seen several times over the years, mostly with prospects, but sometimes with NHL regulars as well (Frank Kaberle comes to mind there). Players think they will get a better offer elsewhere than they do. I suppose you can't blame them for trying, but often they are just not very realistic about their value the market. Vannelli was a good college blueliner, but has questionable pro upside.
A couple years ago, Brian Sipotz was at the end of his entry deal with the Thrashers. The Thrashers made him a qualifying offer, but Sipotz ended up signing directly with the Chicago Wolves instead, where he had been playing throughout the contract. I had interviewed Sipotz the year before, and he seemed like an intelligent guy, so I just couldn't get my head around why he would do that, and then turn around and sign with the farm club. While I was in Chicago that winter, I saw him on my way out after the game so I stopped him and questioned him on it -- did I misunderstand somewhere along the way? He turned down his qualifying offer? Why? What reason did he have to do that? Sipotz was extremely nice about it, much nicer than I think I would have been if someone, anyone, came up to me and questioned me about my career decision-making. He said he felt he might find a better opportunity with another NHL team. Since it didn't happen, he came back to the Wolves. He said he wasn't giving up and was still hopeful for next year. Did he end up being right? Well, he was a tryout at Columbus Blue Jackets camp this year, but is back with Chicago. He didn't find a greener pasture, but I suppose he can sleep better knowing that he had the opportunity to explore.
The best non-Thrashers example that comes to mind is Trevor Hendrikx. The Blue Jackets drafted him in 2003, in the ninth round. The two sides were unable to come to terms on a contract in 2005, which is a nice way of saying Hendrikx turned them down, so he re-entered the draft. In the seventh round (which was then the last round), the Jackets selected him again. The two sides settled on a contract shortly thereafter. The grass didn't get any greener for him -- no other team picked him. All it did was prove that the Jackets liked him better than all the other teams - which of course is how they ended up together in the first place.
And that's almost always going to be true years later as well, the team that drafted the player values him more than other teams. Dance with the team who brought you? History shows this seems to be the best course.
Vannelli's situation is something I've seen several times over the years, mostly with prospects, but sometimes with NHL regulars as well (Frank Kaberle comes to mind there). Players think they will get a better offer elsewhere than they do. I suppose you can't blame them for trying, but often they are just not very realistic about their value the market. Vannelli was a good college blueliner, but has questionable pro upside.
A couple years ago, Brian Sipotz was at the end of his entry deal with the Thrashers. The Thrashers made him a qualifying offer, but Sipotz ended up signing directly with the Chicago Wolves instead, where he had been playing throughout the contract. I had interviewed Sipotz the year before, and he seemed like an intelligent guy, so I just couldn't get my head around why he would do that, and then turn around and sign with the farm club. While I was in Chicago that winter, I saw him on my way out after the game so I stopped him and questioned him on it -- did I misunderstand somewhere along the way? He turned down his qualifying offer? Why? What reason did he have to do that? Sipotz was extremely nice about it, much nicer than I think I would have been if someone, anyone, came up to me and questioned me about my career decision-making. He said he felt he might find a better opportunity with another NHL team. Since it didn't happen, he came back to the Wolves. He said he wasn't giving up and was still hopeful for next year. Did he end up being right? Well, he was a tryout at Columbus Blue Jackets camp this year, but is back with Chicago. He didn't find a greener pasture, but I suppose he can sleep better knowing that he had the opportunity to explore.
The best non-Thrashers example that comes to mind is Trevor Hendrikx. The Blue Jackets drafted him in 2003, in the ninth round. The two sides were unable to come to terms on a contract in 2005, which is a nice way of saying Hendrikx turned them down, so he re-entered the draft. In the seventh round (which was then the last round), the Jackets selected him again. The two sides settled on a contract shortly thereafter. The grass didn't get any greener for him -- no other team picked him. All it did was prove that the Jackets liked him better than all the other teams - which of course is how they ended up together in the first place.
And that's almost always going to be true years later as well, the team that drafted the player values him more than other teams. Dance with the team who brought you? History shows this seems to be the best course.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Rookie fantasy update
I'm not playing fantasy hockey this season because I've come to realize I'm only interested in the drafting aspect of it. The daily management of the team becomes a burden very quickly and I lose interest after a few weeks. That said, I'm very aware of the need for good information on players, so fantasy hockey players ("poolies" as they call themselves in Canada), here's a post just for you.
1. Tobias Enstrom, D -- Enstrom is playing a ton of minutes, including the entire power play on the right point. Tonight he had 21:48 in ice time, tops on the team. At even strength he's now playing with Nic Havelid, and on the power play, he was out with Kovalchuk (who is at the other point). Marian Hossa, Slava Kozlov and Bryan Little make up the top forwards group. As soon as the power play starts scoring, Enstrom will start racking up points because he's the distributor and touches the puck a lot. Enstrom will shoot the puck himself as well, but that's not his bread and butter.
2. Bryan Little, C -- Little is now playing with Darren Haydar and Brett Sterling, but the lines change often so don't make too much of it. Little has the ability to adapt to different linemates as well as anyone on the team and finds ways to create chances. He should start finding himself in the scoring column more and more often on a team that lacks talent at center. Tonight he had 13:25 in ice time, 3:35 of it on the power play. He should continue to see time on the power play.
3. Brett Sterling, LW -- I could not in good conscience recommend him at this point. He's a goal scorer who is not scoring goals, and isn't getting great chances either. Getting sent back down to the Wolves for a while is not out of the question. Tonight he had 8:40 in ice time, 2:16 of it on the power play (second unit).
1. Tobias Enstrom, D -- Enstrom is playing a ton of minutes, including the entire power play on the right point. Tonight he had 21:48 in ice time, tops on the team. At even strength he's now playing with Nic Havelid, and on the power play, he was out with Kovalchuk (who is at the other point). Marian Hossa, Slava Kozlov and Bryan Little make up the top forwards group. As soon as the power play starts scoring, Enstrom will start racking up points because he's the distributor and touches the puck a lot. Enstrom will shoot the puck himself as well, but that's not his bread and butter.
2. Bryan Little, C -- Little is now playing with Darren Haydar and Brett Sterling, but the lines change often so don't make too much of it. Little has the ability to adapt to different linemates as well as anyone on the team and finds ways to create chances. He should start finding himself in the scoring column more and more often on a team that lacks talent at center. Tonight he had 13:25 in ice time, 3:35 of it on the power play. He should continue to see time on the power play.
3. Brett Sterling, LW -- I could not in good conscience recommend him at this point. He's a goal scorer who is not scoring goals, and isn't getting great chances either. Getting sent back down to the Wolves for a while is not out of the question. Tonight he had 8:40 in ice time, 2:16 of it on the power play (second unit).
Current trading assets
Not that a trade would be the cure for what ills the 0-6 team, but if the Thrashers were to make a trade, here are some ideas on what they currently have to offer.
1. Left wings. League-wide, there is a relative shortage of scoring left wingers. This fact came to my attention just today when I questioned fellow HF writer Dave Rainer about something he had written in an article. He responded with some data to back it up -- more scoring comes off right wingers than left wingers. The imbalance is becoming less pronounced over time, but still exists. The Thrashers, however, actually have an overabundance of scoring left wingers with Slava Kozlov, Ilya Kovalchuk and Brett Sterling. With Kozlov and Kovalchuk firmly in place, it would of course make the most sense to trade Sterling. I'm not running him out on a rail, but from an asset management standpoint, rather than convert him to a right wing, it would make sense to trade him for something the team needed more urgently. If they could get equal or better value back.
2. 2008's first round pick. This pick has the most value on the market right now than if ever will, for two reasons. First, because the Thrashers are in last place, other teams think the Thrashers are likely to win the lottery and get the first overall pick. Second, since junior phenom John Tavares is still trying to make the case that he should enter the 2008 draft, there's the potential that the first overall pick could be used to select him.
3. Defensive prospects. In particular Boris Valabik or Nathan Oystrick. While the Thrashers now know basically what they have with these two players, other teams may see more upside. Oystrick gained a lot of notoriety last year as a high scorer in the AHL, and has greater value than he ever may have.
1. Left wings. League-wide, there is a relative shortage of scoring left wingers. This fact came to my attention just today when I questioned fellow HF writer Dave Rainer about something he had written in an article. He responded with some data to back it up -- more scoring comes off right wingers than left wingers. The imbalance is becoming less pronounced over time, but still exists. The Thrashers, however, actually have an overabundance of scoring left wingers with Slava Kozlov, Ilya Kovalchuk and Brett Sterling. With Kozlov and Kovalchuk firmly in place, it would of course make the most sense to trade Sterling. I'm not running him out on a rail, but from an asset management standpoint, rather than convert him to a right wing, it would make sense to trade him for something the team needed more urgently. If they could get equal or better value back.
2. 2008's first round pick. This pick has the most value on the market right now than if ever will, for two reasons. First, because the Thrashers are in last place, other teams think the Thrashers are likely to win the lottery and get the first overall pick. Second, since junior phenom John Tavares is still trying to make the case that he should enter the 2008 draft, there's the potential that the first overall pick could be used to select him.
3. Defensive prospects. In particular Boris Valabik or Nathan Oystrick. While the Thrashers now know basically what they have with these two players, other teams may see more upside. Oystrick gained a lot of notoriety last year as a high scorer in the AHL, and has greater value than he ever may have.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Photos of your 2007-08 Gwinnett Gladiators
Since only one player will need to be cut before the opening day roster, essentially what you see here is what the Gladiators will be starting the season with. Coach Jeff Pyle said he'd make his one cut probably on Monday. He thinks there may be a couple more coming from Chicago (a D and an F maybe), but hasn't heard for sure.
Jersey colors today (pay no attention to the order of names)
Red: Myles Stoesz - Bryson Busniak - Jeff Campbell
Green: Mike Hamilton - Andy Brandt
Blue: Stuart MacRae - Ryan Walsh - Derek Nesbitt
Yellow: Dirk Southern - Lou Dickenson - Mike Vigilante
Burgundy (D): Jim Jackson, Jeff Mason, Dinos Stamoulis, Jamie Milam
Notice only four defensemen, including JMo, who is supposed to be playing forward this year. There's been a rash of injuries/health issues on D. Jon Awe's toe is infected -- they had to open it up and then give him stitches. Ryan Mahrle was sick today (was there in street clothes later), and both Bill LeClerc and Jon Sitko have bad groins. They also did not play on Thursday in the preseason game.
Word is that last year's MVP Brad Schell signed a PTO with Providence, but he's currently injured so he's not playing.
I had a good day with the camera I think. The first one I believe is Dirk Southern in yellow, and that's Stamoulis kneeling with the mouthguard.
Turps, Hoops, and Brownie. Hoops (equipment manager) got put to work double duty during camp.
Vig and Stamoulis together.
Pyle and Hamilton in the foreground, K-Wal in the background.
New head athletic trainer Dani Ellis looks on.
Stoesz waiting his turn for a drill.
Turps drawfs Hoops. The perspective here distorts of course, but that's part of the fun.
K-Wal hiding...with Hamilton beside him.
Skating drills.
Turps, a tall drink of water himself, takes a drink of water.
Below, you can almost hear Cam Brown and Hoops discussing Brownie's stick.
Jersey colors today (pay no attention to the order of names)
Red: Myles Stoesz - Bryson Busniak - Jeff Campbell
Green: Mike Hamilton - Andy Brandt
Blue: Stuart MacRae - Ryan Walsh - Derek Nesbitt
Yellow: Dirk Southern - Lou Dickenson - Mike Vigilante
Burgundy (D): Jim Jackson, Jeff Mason, Dinos Stamoulis, Jamie Milam
Notice only four defensemen, including JMo, who is supposed to be playing forward this year. There's been a rash of injuries/health issues on D. Jon Awe's toe is infected -- they had to open it up and then give him stitches. Ryan Mahrle was sick today (was there in street clothes later), and both Bill LeClerc and Jon Sitko have bad groins. They also did not play on Thursday in the preseason game.
Word is that last year's MVP Brad Schell signed a PTO with Providence, but he's currently injured so he's not playing.
I had a good day with the camera I think. The first one I believe is Dirk Southern in yellow, and that's Stamoulis kneeling with the mouthguard.
Turps, Hoops, and Brownie. Hoops (equipment manager) got put to work double duty during camp.
Vig and Stamoulis together.
Pyle and Hamilton in the foreground, K-Wal in the background.
New head athletic trainer Dani Ellis looks on.
Stoesz waiting his turn for a drill.
Turps drawfs Hoops. The perspective here distorts of course, but that's part of the fun.
K-Wal hiding...with Hamilton beside him.
Skating drills.
Turps, a tall drink of water himself, takes a drink of water.
Below, you can almost hear Cam Brown and Hoops discussing Brownie's stick.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Thrashers vs. Senators 10-10-07
Review of the play of the rookies tonight (I won't do this all year -- right now it's the most interesting though). Brett Sterling returned to a line with Ilya Kovalchuk and Todd White and saw time on the PP. He had about three scoring chances, so that's progress I suppose, but he squandered each one. They say that a player is contributing if the play doesn't die when the puck comes to him. Right now that means that Sterling isn't contributing though.
He had the same problems of chasing the puck and running questionable patterns during the breakout. If he would just get along the right wing wall, that would help (the wall is your friend since it will often return the puck to you). But right now no one is passing to Sterling because he's not in good place to receive a pass. Most of the time he is too far up. One time tonight McCarthy hit him on the tape in the neutral zone, but it bounced off his stick.
Sterling did stay on his point man on defense pretty well, I'll give him that. But his awareness wasn't there -- once the puck was at his feet on D and he had no idea. He also had no idea the first period was ending and changed with like two seconds left. On each of his scoring chance, he shot way wide or high. It wasn't even close.
This line, Kovalchuk, White and Sterling, tend to bunch up a lot on the left wing. All three players want to be there, tripping over each other. This was the least effective of the four lines tonight. Kovalchuk scored, but he did that himself by stripping the defenseman of the puck.
Bryan Little was on a line with Slava Kozlov and Eric Perrin (who replaced the injured Marian Hossa). He looked good again, simple but effective. Had a GA in the neutral zone and a chance late in the game.
Tobias Enstrom had a couple saves right in a row at the beginning of the second period where he swooped in and got the puck out of the crease. This is where he contributed the most tonight.
Changing gears, Scott Pearson filled in on the postgame show tonight. He was introduced as "former NHLer Scott Pearson" but some of those reading the blog will remember him as a player for the Chicago Wolves in the late 90's, or last year as a guest star with the Gladiators. The Glads were really short on bodies once in the middle of the season so he got called in. Didn't look too bad either, especially for someone who had been retired for five years.
A caller said to him "welcome to Atlanta" but he's actually lived here for some time now. He keeps in shape by playing in an invitation-only men's league (at the Cooler I believe).
Pearson was supposed to be the color guy on the show, but he was being very politically correct in his comments, to an extent that they weren't colorful at all. But if it was his first time on the radio, then he did well because he was smooth and had a reply to everything.
He had the same problems of chasing the puck and running questionable patterns during the breakout. If he would just get along the right wing wall, that would help (the wall is your friend since it will often return the puck to you). But right now no one is passing to Sterling because he's not in good place to receive a pass. Most of the time he is too far up. One time tonight McCarthy hit him on the tape in the neutral zone, but it bounced off his stick.
Sterling did stay on his point man on defense pretty well, I'll give him that. But his awareness wasn't there -- once the puck was at his feet on D and he had no idea. He also had no idea the first period was ending and changed with like two seconds left. On each of his scoring chance, he shot way wide or high. It wasn't even close.
This line, Kovalchuk, White and Sterling, tend to bunch up a lot on the left wing. All three players want to be there, tripping over each other. This was the least effective of the four lines tonight. Kovalchuk scored, but he did that himself by stripping the defenseman of the puck.
Bryan Little was on a line with Slava Kozlov and Eric Perrin (who replaced the injured Marian Hossa). He looked good again, simple but effective. Had a GA in the neutral zone and a chance late in the game.
Tobias Enstrom had a couple saves right in a row at the beginning of the second period where he swooped in and got the puck out of the crease. This is where he contributed the most tonight.
Changing gears, Scott Pearson filled in on the postgame show tonight. He was introduced as "former NHLer Scott Pearson" but some of those reading the blog will remember him as a player for the Chicago Wolves in the late 90's, or last year as a guest star with the Gladiators. The Glads were really short on bodies once in the middle of the season so he got called in. Didn't look too bad either, especially for someone who had been retired for five years.
A caller said to him "welcome to Atlanta" but he's actually lived here for some time now. He keeps in shape by playing in an invitation-only men's league (at the Cooler I believe).
Pearson was supposed to be the color guy on the show, but he was being very politically correct in his comments, to an extent that they weren't colorful at all. But if it was his first time on the radio, then he did well because he was smooth and had a reply to everything.
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