Next Season - Current Roster - Keep or Move On?

[smbmetal]

I've also changed my mind on Neumann as well. With him being young still, I would keep him and he certainly has the speed.

Be interesting to see what Petgrave's +/- stats would be if he wasn't paired with Nevalainen. I would suggest they'd be much lower due to the amount of times Nevalainen has bailed him out.

Still, no matter how good the stats are, it won't win us a trophy. That's the stat I'm interested in.

[BontSteeler]

I've also changed my mind on Neumann as well. With him being young still, I would keep him and he certainly has the speed.

Be interesting to see what Petgrave's +/- stats would be if he wasn't paired with Nevalainen. I would suggest they'd be much lower due to the amount of times Nevalainen has bailed him out.

Still, no matter how good the stats are, it won't win us a trophy. That's the stat I'm interested in.

Our highest points scorer in the EIHL is Ciampini and he places 18th with 48pts.

You will win absolutely zilch with stats like that.

O'Connor is also on 48pts.

De Luca finished on 53pts....

Says it all really.

[paul johnston]

Stats are always useful.
I think it's damning that we don't have one top point scorer in the top 20. Giants have 6, Guildford have five.

Fox may argue that its better to have your points spread across 3-4 lines.

However I don't think it's a coincidence that the last time we had a proper top heavy first line. Roy, Forney and Fretter, look at where they were in the points scoring charts and where did we finish in the league race?

[Joesteeler]

Fox may argue that its better to have your points spread across 3-4 lines.

This approach has never worked, for anyone.

The last coach to go for this kind of recruitment system was Matsos, but he had Legue and Talbot who were regularly over a point per game, and the rest chipped in, Cruikshank etc.

The blueprint over the last 10 years to win the league tends to be an aggressive, physical, in-your-face style with plenty of skillful players, with 5+ players near the top of the point scoring charts.

[Tom Moore]

Forwards:

08 Mason Mitchell - No
12 Daniel Ciampini - No
17 Evan Mosey - Yes
19 Tomáš Pitule - No
20 Jonathan Phillips - Retiring
21 Alex Graham - Yes
25 Brett Neumann - No
27 Cole Shudra - Yes if we can get him back off Leeds
29 Scott Allen - Yes
62 Martin Latal - Yes
63 Brendan Connolly - Retiring? No if not
74 Brandon Whistle - Yes
75 Robert Dowd - Yes
79 Danny Kristo - No
88 Marc-Olivier Vallerand - No
92 Brandon McNally - Absolutely not, No.

Defenders:

05 Carl Ackered - No
13 Davey Phillips - Yes
22 Matt Petgrave - Yes
28 Kevin Schulze - No
44 Sam Jones - Yes
57 Niklas Nevalainen - Yes
58 Sébastien Piché - No

Netminders:

01 Matt Greenfield - Yes
30 Hayden Lavigne - Yes, good for Manchester, can split with Greenfield if we can keep him
34 Curtis Warburton - Yes
72 Jordan McLaughlin - Yes

By my reckoning that leaves me 2 Import D to recruit, and about 5 F. I'd like 2 big, aggressive, nasty D, because we've got more than enough who aren't, and then of my forwards 3 who are contenders to be in the top 10 points scorers in the league. I don't think we had a genuine 1st line this season, more like two second lines, then a third and a fourth.

[paul johnston]

Forwards:

08 Mason Mitchell - No
12 Daniel Ciampini - No
17 Evan Mosey - Yes
19 Tomáš Pitule - No
20 Jonathan Phillips - Retiring
21 Alex Graham - Yes
25 Brett Neumann - No
27 Cole Shudra - Yes if we can get him back off Leeds
29 Scott Allen - Yes
62 Martin Latal - Yes
63 Brendan Connolly - Retiring? No if not
74 Brandon Whistle - Yes
75 Robert Dowd - Yes
79 Danny Kristo - No
88 Marc-Olivier Vallerand - No
92 Brandon McNally - Absolutely not, No.

Defenders:

05 Carl Ackered - No
13 Davey Phillips - Yes
22 Matt Petgrave - Yes
28 Kevin Schulze - No
44 Sam Jones - Yes
57 Niklas Nevalainen - Yes
58 Sébastien Piché - No

Netminders:

01 Matt Greenfield - Yes
30 Hayden Lavigne - Yes, good for Manchester, can split with Greenfield if we can keep him
34 Curtis Warburton - Yes
72 Jordan McLaughlin - Yes

By my reckoning that leaves me 2 Import D to recruit, and about 5 F. I'd like 2 big, aggressive, nasty D, because we've got more than enough who aren't, and then of my forwards 3 who are contenders to be in the top 10 points scorers in the league. I don't think we had a genuine 1st line this season, more like two second lines, then a third and a fourth.

Interesting take. I'd take the whole first line-but at least two out of three need to be second line. Maybe look at Dowd, Whistle and Graham as a third line-no way Whistle and Graham suit a fourth line role. Get a proper first line. Then bits and pieces fourth line maybe cheap, physical gritty young role players. Cole signed on at Leeds again so presumably can't shift him.
In D need a bit more physicality amongst the rest.
Jones, Nevalainen, still can't make up mind about Petgrave (not sad if stays or goes). Change the rest.
Greener is a no brainer. New back up nettie although no idea what to do with Curtis and Jordan. They literally are door openers with us.

But it all starts with the coach-if Fox still in charge really needs new systems cos the same one hasn't worked after three years, why would you expect repeating the same to change the outcome.

Other teams have been successful essentially playing three line hockey-we need to reduce fourth line minutes and get alleged better, big names on ice more.
We had our best season injury wise and bench strength for as long as i can remember this year and still no league title. We are unlikely to be as lucky with injuries next year.

[Joesteeler]

Does anyone know what's happened to Mason Mitchell? I can't remember any club report saying he'd departed etc but I haven't heard anything about him for months

[smbmetal]

Does anyone know what's happened to Mason Mitchell? I can't remember any club report saying he'd departed etc but I haven't heard anything about him for months

He was on the Injury Reserve list. He's either still injured or is no longer with the club and has gone home.

I think it's the latter.

I was surprised to see him play at all with the later start he had due to his pre-season injury.

Waste of an import slot for me I'm afraid.

[BontSteeler]

Does anyone know what's happened to Mason Mitchell? I can't remember any club report saying he'd departed etc but I haven't heard anything about him for months

He was on the Injury Reserve list. He's either still injured or is no longer with the club and has gone home.

I think it's the latter.

I was surprised to see him play at all with the later start he had due to his pre-season injury.

Waste of an import slot for me I'm afraid.

There's been a few of them this season imo....

[greeny]

Does anyone know what's happened to Mason Mitchell? I can't remember any club report saying he'd departed etc but I haven't heard anything about him for months

He was on the Injury Reserve list. He's either still injured or is no longer with the club and has gone home.

I think it's the latter.

I was surprised to see him play at all with the later start he had due to his pre-season injury.

Waste of an import slot for me I'm afraid.

There's been a few of them this season imo....

Never impressed me the games he played, expected more