Article: Daemon Hunt Showed Out In Minnesota's First Preseason Game

[Bekki Antonelli]

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[Citizen Strife]

Early interpretations of the Dallas game (4-5 NHL regulars vs. Dallas's full lineup...so, grain of salt)

- Rossi, Ohgren, Boyd, and Chisholm look pretty good.

- Heidt got completely outclassed in open ice by a forward.

- A lot of players are lacking speed or awareness.  Dallas is buzzing around them with ease.

- Gus let in two early goals.  Hopefully he shuts it down, cause BLEH!

[Citizen Strife]

Lauko with his 2nd goal of the preseason, so he's got some hands.

Edited 23 hours ago by Citizen Strife

[mnhockeyfan03]

I have not been impressed by Rossi in this game at all.  Doesn’t look anything different from past years.  Going to get pushed around against big teams.  Dallas looks bigger stronger and faster than all our guys.  Sorry but the hype on our younger players might just be that as they don’t look all that good at all.  Merrill and Gus should be traded now.  Chisolm looks good as does Lauko.  Haight will be a good bottom 6 guy down the road.  Height not ready.  Not impressed at all with Ohgren, Kuzn, or Rossi.  To small and not fast enough.  Jones could be something there. Just a different perspective but it’s going to be a long year.  I am starting to wonder if it’s our development team that is complete garbage at getting these you guys ready and stronger. 

[Enforceror]

1 hour ago, mnhockeyfan03 said:

I have not been impressed by Rossi in this game at all.  Doesn’t look anything different from past years.  Going to get pushed around against big teams.  Dallas looks bigger stronger and faster than all our guys.  Sorry but the hype on our younger players might just be that as they don’t look all that good at all.  Merrill and Gus should be traded now.  Chisolm looks good as does Lauko.  Haight will be a good bottom 6 guy down the road.  Height not ready.  Not impressed at all with Ohgren, Kuzn, or Rossi.  To small and not fast enough.  Jones could be something there. Just a different perspective but it’s going to be a long year.  I am starting to wonder if it’s our development team that is complete garbage at getting these you guys ready and stronger. 

Merrill and Gus are so confusing. They'll make nice plays/saves then completely go flat. I also liked Chisolm and Lauko. Haight was involved. O'Rourke had a few good defensive plays. Clarke got a goal but was otherwise invisible. Nobody else stood out to me. 

[Enforceror]

Just one game I know but was really hoping to see something with Rossi and Ohgren. Very disappointing. 

[Citizen Strife]

I'm not going to throw Rossi under the bus for a game like this.  If it's anything, it says, "He's not as good as Ek, so stop trying to make him something he's not until he gets there."

Rossi can carry a line to an extent, but taking lesser players and pulling off miracles is not what he's can do right now.  He's probably fine against 2nd or 3rd liners.  You have to remember that Dallas's 2nd line guys are probably as good as some other team's top lines.  So, this is a sign that Rossi should be commended for 20 some goals and 40 pts last year.  I don't see a reason he can't do that or more with actual NHL talent (Ohgren and Boyd aren't Foligno and Boldy after all).  

You've got a guy who can handle 2nd or 3rd line duty, but will struggle if he's the only good player on the line. Khusnutdinov, Ohgren, and Heidt got to see what top NHL talent can do, and got served their asses on a platter.  They either get better as time goes on, or have to deal with "what could have been" labels.  For all the shit people get about Lauko, guess who showed up and made some good plays?  Lauko, Boyd: people who have done it day in and day out.  That is why they got signed.  I'm putting Lauko in over Ohgren 9 times out of 10 if last night is a sort of barometer of Ohgren's progress right now.

It's whether or not Ohgren gets better from here that's the problem.

[mnfaninnc]

13 hours ago, mnhockeyfan03 said:

 I am starting to wonder if it’s our development team that is complete garbage at getting these you guys ready and stronger. 

Just to clarify, I did not write this, but he's right on this. For some reason, our development team, all grinders, have not driven home the point that you must create NHL bodies in the AHL. This detail needs to be fully addressed.

I watched 2 years ago when Rossi was playing with resistance bands and doing conditioning workouts showing off his conditioning. We don't need conditioning, we need strength. If our strength/conditioning coaches are stressing conditioning over strength, they need to be fired and bring in actual strength coaches who can condition. 

And, on top of this, mandatory strength appointments in a group setting need to be scheduled and attended. These guys have to get strength over everything else. This is why Beckman failed. This is why O'Rourke never makes the NHL. This is why Walker failed. This is what needs to happen with Lambos, Spacek, Peart, Masters. Parker needs it badly. Heidt and Haight will need it. Bankier needs it, especially upper body. 

Practice #1 in the AHL should have Matt Hendricks on the ice plowing through each kid. After practice and before Hendricks heads to the training room, he must stress that they will be playing real men and they need to be able to take harder shots than he can now deliver. It's a lesson they need not forget. Then Hendricks can head to the icebath and recover for the next week.

[mnfaninnc]

Ohgren will be fine, but I'd like to remind everyone that according to the past 2 years, Ohgren has been a hard finisher and a lousy starter to the season. It might do him well to start in the A with the message of, you need to bring your A game in September, not January.

I haven't viewed the 2nd game yet. I assume it will be on ESPN+.

Bekki is right about Hunt's performance in game 1, however, her assignment was talking about Hunt. I thought Lambos actually played better. Hunt's partner for much of the night was Chisholm. Anyone who played with Parker was in trouble, as Parker was not ready for this advanced competition. He's got another year of jr. left before even thinking about the A. He was demonstratively weaker and it really showed. Hopefully the message he goes back to jr. with is "son, you've got to get much stronger in the next 2 years. You should consider the gym on all off days."

I also thought Hunt, Chisholm, Lambos all looked larger than previously, Lambos especially. This is a good sign. 

Oh, and a game note I didn't put in previously. While we got off to a nice lead against Winnipeg, we were severely outshot and The Wall held us in. Kahkonen had given up 4 goals on 14 shots and they were not really his fault. He didn't play well, but he also didn't play to a .750 sv% either. We cannot start games producing no shots on goal. I believe this happened vs. Dallas too. 

Edited 8 hours ago by mnfaninnc

[Mateo3xm]

17 hours ago, mnhockeyfan03 said:

I have not been impressed by Rossi in this game at all.  Doesn’t look anything different from past years.  Going to get pushed around against big teams.  Dallas looks bigger stronger and faster than all our guys.  Sorry but the hype on our younger players might just be that as they don’t look all that good at all.  Merrill and Gus should be traded now.  Chisolm looks good as does Lauko.  Haight will be a good bottom 6 guy down the road.  Height not ready.  Not impressed at all with Ohgren, Kuzn, or Rossi.  To small and not fast enough.  Jones could be something there. Just a different perspective but it’s going to be a long year.  I am starting to wonder if it’s our development team that is complete garbage at getting these you guys ready and stronger. 

Rossi was 6th and Faber was 2nd in Calder trophy voting last year. “Doesn’t look anything different from past years” what on earth are you talking about? You came up with that conclusion after 2 preseason games? Don’t you think it’s a little early?

How do you figure we are going to make due with a 40 year old goalie and a rookie goalie? That would be disastrous for the team. If you’re trying to start a rebuild then I agree to trade Gus but not if you want to be somewhat competitive.

[mnhockeyfan03]

2 hours ago, Mateo3xm said:

 

Rossi was 6th and Faber was 2nd in Calder trophy voting last year. “Doesn’t look anything different from past years” what on earth are you talking about? You came up with that conclusion after 2 preseason games? Don’t you think it’s a little early?

How do you figure we are going to make do with a 40 year old goalie and a rookie goalie? That would be disastrous for the team. If you’re trying to start a rebuild then I agree to trade Gus but not if you want to be somewhat competitive.

Sorry just my opinion on Rossi.  I think he is a 3rd line wing at best in this league.  He didn’t impress me. I have seen enough hockey and played at a very high level to know what I am looking at and Rossi won’t help this team in the western conference.

 

Yes roll with Fluery and Wallstedt in goal. Wallstedt is ready and Gus lets in soft goals that kills a teams momentum.  His salary and Merrill’s and Nojos will be close to 6mm we can get someone very solid to help us on the second line which we desperately need.