Prospect watch in the WJC: Karlsson looking good

Although he had to live with the silver medal, Sens prospect Erik Karlsson received plenty of individual accolades as the tournament came to a close. Karlsson was named the tournament's best defenceman by the Directorate, was named among his team's top three players by the Swedish coaches, and was names Sweden's best player in the gold-medal game. He led Sweden in scoring with nine points (2G, 7A), tied for first place in scoring among defencemen with Canada's P.K. Subban. A pretty good showing for a pick who was criticized by some, and he had a pretty impressive moustache going, too. (No word on whether or not the moustache was in solidarity with his struggling future Senators teammates.)

Andre Petersson didn't have as many accolades, but he had a pretty good tournament, too. Tied for fourth in Swedish team scoring with six points (3G, 3A), and he was given the team's best player award in their round-robin victory over Russia.

For the USA, James O'Brien wasn't dominant on any night, but he had reliable production. He finished with four points (1G, 3A) in six games, and was +4 overall. Considering his age, and his first-round draft status, though, I think it's safe to say more was expected of O'Brien.

And I'd say it's also safe to say that John Tavares won the battle for first overall against Victor Hedman, at least for now. Hedman will certainly be a valuable member of an NHL team in the future, but Tavares was by far the better player in this tournament.

Prospect watch in the WJC: Day Eight

Huge game for prospect Andre Petersson against Russia, as he scored two goals in the 5-0 victory to earn Sweden a bye to the semi-finals. Petersson had three shots on goal and was +1 in the game, and other Sens prospect Erik Karlsson had one assist, four shots on goal, and was +1 as well. Petersson (3G, 3A) and Karlsson (2G, 4A) are tied for the team lead in points on the Swedish team with six each in the tournament so far.

In the other division, Jim O'Brien had one goal in USA's 7-3 loss to Canada on Wednesday. He's got four points (1G, 3A) in four games in the tournament so far, and will be facing off against Slovakia in the quarter-finals at 3:30 today.

And there are all sorts of Senators-related stories about the World Junior Championships, here's just a few if you're looking for something to read:

• "Heartbreaking loss for Lee", Ottawa Sun
• "World Junior Gold A Thrill For Smith", The Pembroke Daily Observer
• "McAmmond helped launch gold ", The Belleville Intelligencer
• "'The best time of my life'" (Brendan Bell), OttawaSenators.com
• "A memory worth saving for Auld" OttawaSenators.com
• "WJC memories pure gold for Hartsburg" OttawaSenators.com
• "Phillips savoured pair of junior golds" "Ottawa Senators.com
• "Donovan rolled perfect seven at WJC" OttawaSenators.com

Prospect watch in the WJC: Day four

After an in-depth look at Erik Karlsson in Sweden's 3-1 victory over Slovakia, I'm optimistic. He was poised all night, and had a wicked shot: He scored a power-play goal on a very strong snap shot that went top corner. He also assisted on the game-winning goal, had five shots on net, and was +1 overall.
About his game: He fills the role of powerplay quarterback very well. He's got good vision in the offensive end, and was often the only Swede on the point while the other four pressured the Slovaks on the powerplay. He has good foot speed, and is agile enough to avoid hits more often than not. I would have to say that Karlsson had more poise than Victor Hedman, his defensive partner, who is expected to be in competition for the first-overall pick this year. There is a knock on Karlsson, and that's his size: 5'11", 168 lbs. There were two times that come to mind where it was an issue (neither resulted in a good scoring chance, though), but his speed usually makes up for what he lacks in size. And the other positive note is that size is something that you can--and he will--improve.

Andre Petersson was alright, but didn't really stand out. He took a roughing penalty, and had one shot on the night. His line was not the Swede's best one.

The final Sens prospect in the tournament, Jim O'Brien, played his second game of the tournament for USA, a 4-3 win. He had no points, four shots, and was even.

As for the Hedman watch, he wasn't quite what I expected. The scouting report that I'd heard was he was big like Zdeno Chara, and as poised as Nicklas Lidstrom (although maybe not quite to the same extent of either). Overall, though, he looked a lot more like Chara than Lidstrom, more of a hulking physical presence (he's 6'6" and 220 lbs) than an intimidating offensive threat. Hedman was far less impressive than Karlsson, but his size and his speed were very appealing; he may have simply been trying to do too much on the night.

Finally, John Tavares: He "only" had four points (2G, 2A) in a 15-0 win over Kazakhstan, and was +2 with nine shots. But he's only second in tournament scoring, with seven points in two games: Teammate Cody Hodgson has eight points in the tourney so far.

Prospect watch in the WJC: Day three

As mentioned in a previous post, the Senators have three prospects in the 2009 World Junior Championships, defenceman Erik Karlsson (1st round, 15th overall, 2008) and forward Andre Petersson (4th round, 109th overall, 2008), both playing for the Swedish squad, as well as centre Jim O'Brien (1st round, 29th overall, 2007), playing for the United States.

In their first game of the tournament, a 3-1 win over Finland, Petersson had an assist on the game-winning goal, and was +1 on the night. Karlsson, the much-heralded first-round pick, didn't record a point, but had three shots and was also +1 on the night.

Team USA's first game was an 8-2 victory for the Americans, and O'Brien had one assist with two shots on the night, and was +1.

As for the Victor Hedman/John Tavares sweepstakes, Tavares fared better in his tournament debut than Hedman. The two are considered the front-runners for the first-overall pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft: Hedman had two shots and was +1, while Tavares had two goals, one assist, two shots, and was +3 overall.

I'm going to the Sweden/Slovakia game tonight, so I'll certainly keep an eye out for Karlsson (number 5 for anyone watching), Petersson (number 20), and Hedman (number 4).

Wiercioch invited to Canadian junior camp

The Senators' second-round pick in 2008, Patrick Wiercioch, has been invited to the Team Canada world junior selection camp. He is among 14 defencemen invited to the camp, along with 20 forwards and four goaltenders. Wiercoch is the second-youngest defenceman invited, and is one of two with an Ottawa connection: Tyler Cuma plays for the 67s. Here's the listing of defencemen, or click here for the full list.

1. Keith Aulie
2. Tyler Cuma
3. Ryan Ellis
4. Cody Goloubef
5. Travis Hamonic
6. * Thomas Hickey
7. Kevin Marshall
8. Tyler Myers
9. Alex Pietrangelo
10. Brendan Smith
11. Jared Spurgeon
12. * P.K. Subban
13. Colten Teubert
14. Patrick Wiercioch
    * - denotes returning player.

In other World Juniors news, 2007 draft choice Jim O'Brien is on the USA Hockey World Junior Championship roster.

ADDENDUM: As a commenter said, there are two other Sens prospects will be playing in the tournament, both for Sweden: defenceman Erik Karlsson (1st round, 15th overall, 2008) and forward Andre Petersson (4th round, 109th overall, 2008).

Preview: Sens @ Rangers

Finally, the Senators will get the opportunity to play against Wade Redden. It will be interesting to see how some of his former teammates respond, and how some of the newcomers--signings, trades, and up-and-coming rookies--treat the player who, until Monday night, will never have played an NHL game in any other jersey. And, of course, how Redden responds.

The game will also be Alex Auld's first test in a Sens jersey, so keep an eye out for what he's got to show. Jeff Glass is scheduled to take over for the third period.

Only one cut has been made since Saturday night, with Jim O'Brien being sent back to the Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL. I was hoping that after his showing in the rookie camp O'Brien would be playing in Binghamton, but he'll certainly get plenty of ice time in the WHL.

In other news, Alexandre Picard was complaining about soreness in his groin (what's going on here? First Daniel Alfredsson, now Picard?), so Chris Phillips will take his place in the lineup. According to the Ottawa Sun, Alfredsson might be playing against Philadelphia on Tuesday (EDIT: the game against Philly is on Wednesday, not Tuesday).

No word on what the line combinations are, but the Sens official site has said that the lineup will include Chris Kelly, Dean McAmmond, Shean Donovan, Anton Volchenkov, Cody Bass, Nick Foligno, Ryan Shannon, Brendan Bell, and Luke Richardson.

EDIT: Nothing on local TV, but it's on MSG so you should be able to see the game on NHL Centre Ice. The game is, of course, on TEAM 1200.

Sens beat Panthers, Leafs in rookie tournament

Anyone who hasn't seen can check out highlights of the Sens' rookie camp victories on TSN.ca, 4-2 over the Florida Panthers rookies and 7-5 against the Toronto Maple Leafs rookies. (Despite finishing so much worse than Ottawa so many years, the Leafs are apparently still unable to assemble any young talent.) The Panthers highlights are up now, and I'm sure the Leafs ones will be up soon.

Against Florida, undrafted rookie tryout candidate Mick Lawrence (who?) scored two goals and an assist, while Shawn Weller added a goal and two assists and Ilya Zubov scored the Sens' other goal. Since the Senators' official press release is seriously lacking, and I can't find a stats sheet anywhere, I turned to the Ottawa Sun, who filled out a bit more scoring details: Jesse Winchester also added two assists, and Bruce Garrioch said he looked "strong". About Lawrence, he seems to have found his game at the University of Nebraska-Omaha in his final year, scoring NCAA career-highs in goals (21), assists (19), and points (it's basic math, come on; 21+19=40 points). If the highlights on TSN were typical, then Winchester, Zubov, and Lawrence were on a line together. Brian Elliott was tending nets for the Sens.

Against Toronto, all I know now is what the Sens' press release says. Forwards Winchester (2G), Zubov (1G, 1A), Alexander Nikulin (2A), and Peter Regin (2A), as well as defenceman Mattias Karlsson (1G, 1A), each had two points. The Leafs were up 2-0 at one point, but the Sens rallied and eventually took the lead. Two goals on three shots in the first period; Leafs goaltending prospect Michael Ouzas must have had a rough game. Jim O'Brien, Benoit Doucet, and Zach Smith also scored for the Senators, while Mitch O'Keefe played in goal.

The Sens' final round-robin game of the tournament is tomorrow at 2 p.m. I wish it was on TV... and that I didn't have to work so I could watch it live.

(P.S. If you're wondering what my player-name tagging technique is, I've only tagged the names of players who are on contracts with the Sens. That's why someone like Mitch O'Keefe is tagged, while Mick Lawrence isn't. Not that anyone cares at all.)

Which prospect has the best chance of making the cut?

Going into training camp this season, the Sens have a number of promising prospects who should get a good shot at making the NHL. It's largely assumed that those prospects who finished the 2007-08 season with the Sens--including Brian Lee, Cody Bass, and Nick Foligno--will start the 2008-09 season.

Despite these newcomers filling a few full-time roster spots, there still could be another opening--whether full-time or part-time--at forward for another young prospect. It's possible Josh Hennessy could get a look, but in my opinion his recently-declining performance in the AHL (63 points in 2005-06, then 57 points in 2006-07, then 51 in 2007-08) means his potential isn't as high as some others. The race, then, will likely come down to one of Jesse Winchester, Ilya Zubov, Alexander Nikulin, James O'Brien, or Peter Regin to be among the Sens' 13 forwards. I've ordered the prospects from most likely to least likely, in my opinion, but there's a diversity of factors on any side of the debate.

1. Jesse Winchester: After finishing his four-year career at Colgate University, Ottawa won the bidding war to attract Winch into a contract. He only played one game last season, but GM Bryan Murray was satisfied enough with his scouting report to sign Winchester to a two-year, one-way contract. Although the unidirectional nature of that contract gives him a pretty good chance of making the team, I think Murray signed him for one reason: a big player who can make plays, but isn't afraid to work for the puck. Although the Sens have no shortage of gritty forwards this season, most of them are--how should I put this--offensively challenged. If Winchester can play alongside Mike Fisher, and complement his grind-style to produce some offence, the Sens may have some secondary scoring based on a totally different offensive style than the CASH Line's primary scoring.


2. Ilya Zubov: Zubov played one game last season for the Senators, and he didn't look too badly out of place. His first year in North American pro did alright, and he scored 38 points for the B-Sens in 74 games. Although he's got some speed, Zubov definitely has some work to do in terms of upper-body strength, according to an NHL.com scouting report. According to Hockey's Future, he's the Sens' third highest-ranked prospect, after only Foligno and Lee. He'll get a shot, but he's really going to have to earn any time he gets in the NHL this season.


3. Alexander Nikulin: SputNik is already a fan-favourite in many circles, despite the fact that he's only played two NHL games. His blog (which you can read translated on HFBoards) is quite popular, and Nikulin's openness is respected. His play, too, is respectable; Nikulin's got good vision and at least some level of defensive responsibility, so he could very well see some NHL time later on. He was visibly nervous in his first two NHL games, though, and will likely need more seasoning in the AHL before becoming a full-time NHLer.


4. James O'Brien: O'Brien played a year of college hockey for the University of Minnesota, but left after that year to play pro hockey full-time in the WHL's Seattle Thunderbirds. The fact that he's never played pro hockey might be a deterrent, but he's apparently got the potential to be a second-line power-forward, according to Hockey's Future's scouting report on the 2007 first-round draft choice.


5. Peter Regin: A relative unknown who's quickly climbing the ranks of the Sens' prospects, Regin jumped from 14 to 9 on Hockey's Future's prospect rankings for the Sens. He's got a small chance of playing for the Senators, but some time with Binghamton will certainly help Regin's development as he gets used to the professional game in North America.

It would be great if one of the Sens' blue-chip prospects could step in and produce offensively right away--that would solve our secondary scoring problems pretty quickly. Unfortunately, that's highly unlikely, and all five of these players will probably be project-players who will take at least a season, or a few of them, to become bona fide NHL point-producers.

Sens 2007 draft update

The Senators chose four players in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft in Columbus. All of them are playing in leagues that are easy to miss, so here is a quick rundown of how they are doing this season.

1st round, 29th overall: James O'Brien (C)

• O'Brien is playing for the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League. He was awarded the WHL's Player of the Week award for the week of Feb. 18-24, in which he scored 6 points (2G, 4A) and was +7 as the Thunderbirds went 3-0. As of Feb. 27, he was fourth on team scoring with 47 points (18G, 29A) in 60 games. He's the fifth-rated prospect the Sens have according to The Hockey News' Future Watch 08, and highest among the 2008 Sens picks.
  

2nd round, 60th overall: Ruslan Bashkirov (LW)

• He went back to Russia after playing in the QMJHL last season (he scored 30G and 37A in the Q in 2006-07). Word on the street is that Old Man Bashkirov, Ruslan's father, is a crazy person who pulled Ruslan and his brother, Roman Bashkirov, out of North American hockey to play in Russia. The Sens' prospect played on both Kazan Ak-Bars and Mytishi Khimik of the Russia Super Hockey League. After some ridiculously difficult research on the Mystishi Khimik website, I found his player profile--with no stats--and I learned that the Russian spelling of his name is "Руслан Башкиров". He also wears number 19, which doesn't bode well (cough*ALEXEI YASHIN*cough). It wouldn't be a bad thing if he decided to come back to North America, because according to HockeysFuture he "has the potential to be a second line offensive winger who brings and [stet] aggressive and competitive game." Then again, both Ilya Zubov and Alexander Nikulin bring that stuff.
  

3rd round, 90th overall: Louie Caporusso (C)

• Caporusso is playing as a freshman for the University of Michigan Wolverines, and he's scored 17 points (10G, 7A) in 25 games, good enough for seventh on team scoring despite missing nine games with a knee injury. U of M is a behemoth, assembling a 26-4-4 record as of Feb. 23, and 'Cappie' has scored 4 game-winning goals, tying him for second-most on the team. As quoted in The Michigan Daily, U of M coach Red Berenson has been impressed with Caporusso since the injury: "I really like the direction that Louie's going. Since he's come back, he has really given his line a dose of offense and smarts."

4th round, 120th overall: Ben Blood (D)

• Plays for the USHL's Indiana Ice. He was traded to Indiana by the Des Moines Buccaneers for Brett Bruneteau, a Washington Capitals prospect. He's scored 19 points (8G, 11A) in 42 games for both teams, good for seventh on the team, and has nine powerplay points (4G, 5A). At 6'4" and 220 lbs, and only 18 years old, the Sens are probably more interested in his 52 penalty minutes and whether or not he's a big hitter. But no media covers the Indiana Ice (despite the fact they're partially owned by 27-year-old Colorado defenceman John-Michael Liles), so I have no idea how he's been playing this season.
  

Another entry draft has come and gone

The Sens made four draft choices over Friday night and Saturday morning at the 2007 NHL Entry Draft in Columbus, and Bryan Murray said he was largely trying to build up size, complementing it with a Russian prospect already playing in North America. The picks were as follows, formatted with round number, and overall number in brackets:

1 (29): James O'Brien
2 (60): Ruslan Bashkirov
3 (90): Louie Caporusso
4 (120): Ben Blood

Ottawa traded their fifth- and seventh-round picks, as well as a seventh-rounder acquired from Phoenix in the Oleg Saprykin deal earlier in the year, to Tampa Bay in exchange for the Lightning's fourth-rounder in the 2008 draft, which is supposed to be deeper in talent than this year's was. The sixth-round pick was previously traded to Washington for Lawrence Nycholat this past February.

Sappy's big return?

Speaking of Saprykin, the Ottawa Sun has reported that former GM John Muckler tendered the winger a qualifying offer of just over $1M before he was fired. Apparently, if Oleg goes to arbitration he could earn "a reward of over $1.8 million". I don't know how Garrioch got that figure, but if arbitration awarded that it would be ridiculous. Apparently Murray is trying to move him.

McAmmond now officially sticking around

Speaking of things Muckler started before he got fired, the two-year contract extension he had tabled to Dean McAmmond was made official on Friday. In celebration, I shaved a playoff-era, McAmmond-esque mohawk into my head. The terms of the deal are supposedly $900K for 2007-08 and $950k for 2008-09. Here's hoping he retires as a Senator.

Sens Fever still in the capital

Taking the OC Transpo downtown a few days ago, I noticed some wicked Senators graffiti near the Bay Street station. If you get the opportunity, be sure to check it out. Here's a sneak peak, it's a pretty wicked piece of artwork.