Faceoff Factor

Comments

1. bag o' pucks

   Sep 11, 01:30 PM

   Based on JB’s blog, Boulerice is a WB/S camp invitee, not a Pittsburgh camp invitee. But, what the hey.

   In an interview yesterday with the Ottawa Sun, I think it was, Bissonnette said that he didn’t think he had a realistic chance of making the big club, based on the Pens’ roster. Biss is a straight shooter, much like Orpik, but I was still surprised to read that. He also said he only has about 20% feeling in his thumb, then joked about having bad hands, anyway. Biss seems to be hard to dislike.

2. Eric Politowski

   Sep 11, 07:14 PM

   You’re right, I believe Boulerice is a minor league only tryout

3. bag o' pucks

   Sep 12, 05:21 PM

   Despres is going to camp with Pittsburgh and will be returned to his junior team in a couple weeks.

4. moe

   Sep 13, 11:17 PM

   I thought that Boullion was a “tryout” at the nhl camp. His name is not on your list. Is he still on or did he go somewhere else?

5. bag o' pucks

   Sep 17, 01:16 AM

   Scratch Joey Haddad and Zack Sill, who wasn’t on your list to begin with (though it’s a bit telling the Pens do like him by inviting an AHL contracted player to camp and getting him in an exhibition game).

   This has got to be disappointing for Veilleux and especially Strait. Zabotel & Grant looked out of their depth from day one; Veilleux looked good at times, disappeared at others; Strait came into camp being talked up as in the competition for the 7 spot and, instead, is among the first round of cuts. Well, they’re all four good prospects and should be very motivated, now.

   Moon showed some skills but it was a foregone conclusion he was going back to fulfill his junior eligibility. Looks like Nick Petersen will have to settle for an AHL deal (it was a curious draft pick from the get-go). Boogaard, Caffaro & Parise were bound for the minors from day one. Hunt, no surprise there, either.

   Add Konstantin Pushkarev to the list, though, as he arrived today as a tryout. Another interesting development. More competition for depth. This should wake up Jeffrey, Bayda, Caputi, etc.

6. bag o' pucks

   Sep 17, 01:22 AM

   And, wow, Pens ’05 5th rounder Tim Crowder shows up on the WB/S camp roster, along with the aforementioned (and much maligned) Boulerice, Curtis Fraser and Rob Hisey. per JB’s twitter.

7. Dave

   Sep 17, 08:44 AM

   Strait was never going to start out the season as a seventh defensmen. The seventh defensmen spot is for a guy who’s been in the pros a while and can handle sitting in the stands and watching. Seventh defensemen don’t play much. They are not going to put a rookie in that position. He needs to play at the next level, which is the AHL. Same with Bortusso and Despres. Despres can’t be sent to the AHL so he will be sent back to Juniors but the experience the get in their first NHL training camp will help them to be better prepared for next years.

8. Matt Bodenschatz

   Sep 17, 10:28 AM

   @Pucks, thanks for the tidbits here. I appreciate you keeping the FF readers updated during the times I’m unavailable to get to a computer!

9. bag o' pucks

   Sep 17, 11:12 AM

   @Matt. No problemo, I’m just stoked for the season to start.

   @Dave. Yes, we all know that the AHL is the best move for him. Nonetheless, he was being “talked up” as being in the competition before camp, with Lovejoy being the favorite. That talk quickly died once camp started, however, and Guenin and Engelland’s names were inserted into that competition.

10. bag o' pucks

    Sep 17, 11:23 AM

    Following is the WB/S camp opening roster (from JB’s blog). Of course, names will be change dramatically as the big club continues their cuts:

    Defensemen
    Kevin Schmidt 6-1, 176 tryout, Bowling Green
    Mitch Ganzak 5-11, 200 AHL deal, Wheeling
    Dan Henningson 6-1, 190 AHL deal, Quinnipiac
    Evan Case 6-1, 174 tryout, Ferris State
    Lane Caffaro 6-1, 190 AHL deal, Union College
    Brian Strait 6-1, 200 NHL deal, Boston U.
    Alex Grant 6-1, 190 NHL deal, QMJHL

    Forwards
    Jesse Boulerice 6-2, 215 tryout, Lake Erie (AHL)
    Jordan Fox 5-10, 195 tryout, Gwinnett (ECHL)
    Justin White 6-0, 184 tryout, Notre Dame
    Braden Walls 6-2, 203 tryout, Alaska-Fairbanks
    Colt King 6-2, 220 tryout, Rocky Mt. (CHL)
    Rob Hisey 5-8, 170 tryout, Germany
    Chris Cloud 5-11, 186 tryout, WHL
    Mark Roebothan 5-11, 200 tryout, UMass-Lowell
    Curtis Fraser 6-2, 200 tryout, Peoria (AHL)
    Tim Crowder 6-2, 180 tryout, Michigan State
    Aaron Boogaard 6-1, 215 NHL deal, WBS
    Zack Sill 6-0, 200 AHL deal, QMJHL
    Joey Haddad 6-2, 189 NHL deal, QMJHL
    Casey Pierro-Zabotel 6-2, 210 NHL deal, WHL
    Nick Petersen 6-2, 186 draft pick, QMJHL
    Keven Veilleux 6-5, 214 NHL deal, QMJHL

    Goalies
    Jordan Parise 5-11, 190 AHL deal, Austria
    Adam Berkhoel 5-11, 185 AHL deal, WBS
    Larry Sterling 6-2, 180 tryout, Port Huron (IHL)

    Of course, Boulerice has been the name most discussed on a try-out. Fighting was all but officially disallowed at Pittsburgh’s camp, but with he, Boogaard & Colt King in this camp, it may be a different story. We all know Sill can handle himself, and new try-out Curt Fraser has 24 fights in the last 1 1/2 seasons in the AHL. Might be a rough and tumble camp.

    Rob Hisey may be another Chris Connor, small but fast and skilled. Curious to see what Tim Crowder does.

11. Ian Reid

    Sep 17, 03:37 PM

    How is Tim Wallace doing in camp?

12. Robert F Planitzer

    Sep 22, 01:49 AM

    I want to know what ever happened to Mike Zigomanis one of the best faceoff players we ever had. I’ts gonna hurt us down the line to not sign a player over 64% on draws.

13. Matt Bodenschatz

    Sep 23, 04:47 PM

    @Ian, apologies for the late reply. At this time, Wallace no longer is in NHL camp, but all indications are that he has the grit and tenacity to someday play a role with the Penguins in the NHL. It may be nothing more than a fourth line role, but it takes a team to win.

    @Robert, Zigomanis brought faceoff wins, I’ll grant you that. But he really didn’t bring much else. He is slow, and despite playing on the penalty kill last season, really has little defensive skills. In essence, he’s a scoring line forward who can’t cut it as a scorer, so has attempted to adapt his game to make it in the NHL. The Penguins likely looked at him as a luxury, not a necessity — as evidenced by their Cup win without him on the roster. The reality is, the Penguins have had very little offensive turnover from the Cup victory in June. Their faceoffs didn’t prevent them from winning back then, and I don’t think they will now, either.

14. bag o' pucks

    Sep 23, 06:42 PM

    Matt, shouldn’t you be at the beach?

15. bag o' pucks

    Sep 23, 06:55 PM

    An interesting tidbit from Metzer:
    it wouldn’t shock me if the Penguins had an eye on Edmonton right now. The Oilers have several high profile players sitting on the bubble. MA Pouliot, Rob Schremp and Gilbert Brule are all former first round picks that could be amongst the team’s final cuts. All would have to pass through waivers to be assigned to the AHL. The Penguins have some familiarity with Schremp and Pouliot, who both had huge seasons in WBS a few years back when the two parent clubs had an agreement to share the Baby Penguins. Pouliot also has a successful run alongside Sidney Crosby back in the QMJHL on his resume that could be intriguing to consider if he were available for the waiver fee. Just saying…

16. Stan

    Sep 23, 10:40 PM

    what about this guy Ryan Schnell

17. Matt Bodenschatz

    Sep 23, 11:01 PM

    @Pucks, I’m at the beach — had a period of t-storms this afternoon and decided to make a quick update. I can’t leave my baby (FF) alone for that long, can I?

    I wouldn’t be surprised if Shero was looking at Edmonton for a forward and Vancouver for a defender. I’m not 100% sure any of the remaining three fighting for the seventh defense spot are ready for the job, and there may be a few players out there on waivers worth taking a look at.

    @Stan, I really have no idea about Schnell.

18. bag o' pucks

    Sep 23, 11:44 PM

    @Matt. I guess not. Ya gotta do what ya gotta do, eh. And that apparently includes talking some smack about my underdog player, Zigo!

    @Stan. Ryan Schnell was released after the rookie tournament, but he impressed some of the Pens mgmt with his toughness and willingness to drop the gloves. He was invited to the WB/S camp and is there, now. With the Pens big cuts and amount of quality prospects going to NEPA, Schnell may have to start in Wheeling, or he has the option of returning to junior to play as an overager.

19. Matt Bodenschatz

    Sep 24, 10:06 AM

    @Pucks, I liked Zigo well enough. He was a faceoff guarantee, but I didn’t see enough else from him to get worked up over losing him. With that being said, you wouldn’t have heard a complaint from me.

    One day left at the beach, then another to drive home. I should be back in a routine Saturday or so.

20. Chris

    Sep 25, 04:17 PM

    As an Oilers fan, all I can say is just say no to Schremp. He has nothing, and I mean nothing, to contribute to the Pens. He has good hands but that’s where it ends.

    An Oiler I would be interested in if I was Shero is Nilsson, but his $2M salary is prohibitive. The Pens would need to move salary to make room for him and I don’t see it happening.

21. bag o' pucks

    Sep 25, 10:30 PM

    During the beginning of the TSN broadcast of the Ottawa-Boston preseason game the broadcasters were talking about Ottawa as a club with too many one-way deals and will need to put some pretty good players through waivers. One of the names mentioned was Alex Picard. If he goes on waivers, someone will get him.

22. bag o' pucks

    Sep 27, 08:53 PM

    John Curry was assigned to WB/S today.

23. bag o' pucks

    Sep 28, 11:47 AM

    Habs demoted Sergei Kostitsyn today. I think he has the skills to play with Malkin, and I also think the presence of Sarge & Geno would keep him in line. Wonder what it would take to get him out of Montreal?

24. tom

    Sep 28, 05:24 PM

    this team worries me…..defense is fast, but can they clear the front of the net like gill did?.....wingers hav to score some goals too….not sure about these guys

25. Pens1967

    Sep 28, 09:45 PM

    Bayda signed to a 1 yr, 2-way contract. I’m thinking he’ll be sent to WBS as insurance for the big club and a vetern mentor to the young guys at WBS.

26. Pens1967

    Sep 29, 04:27 PM

    Looks like the baby Pens have a logjam now, too.

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