Sunday, October 9, 2011
Saturday, October 8, 2011
'A closer look at the OKC Barons" FORWARDS
Hockey is back in OKC! Nice opening pre-season game in a couple regards. Good defence, good offence, team does have some problems to face this year. Fortunately for fans, it is not a bad problem to have though. The roster may be a little bare on the backend, but that can not be said for the forward positions. It's loaded! I know some people in OKC are a little concerned about who was lost, but in reality, I wouldn't let that worry you.
At first glance, I was a little concerned, but the more I look at the forwards in OKC, I realize there is more to be excited about, then there is to be concerned about. I am more excited, not only because of some good talent entering the Barons lineup, but also because of HOW MANY forwards are in this lineup. The bigger question is going to be 'who will not be playing on a given night'?
Losing Moran, Giroux and McDonald will not be as bad as some have been thinking. All three have been playing in the AHL awhile for a reason. Nothing wrong with AHL veterans but there is something to be said about icing a team that has several players aiming to make the parent club in the NHL. Not players that just have dreams, but players who are still young and have good skill to accompany that dream.
I see this OKC forward lineup as a "Vette" as opposed to last year's "Charger". Nothing wrong with a Charger, however there is something to be said about driving a sweet car like this one. Let's take a look at the roster as per the 'Barons' website...
Centers:
Gilbert Brule,Tanner House,Milan Kytnar, Ryan O'Marra,Ryan Martindale, Chris VandeVelde
Right Wing:
Left Wing:
Josh Green, Antti Tyrvainen,Triston Grant, Teemu Hartikanen,Curtis hamilton,
Philppe Cornet, Hunter Tremblay
Some players are going to have to be be moved around to make these lines work. Here is some combinations I would use if I were Todd Nelson.
Curtis hamilton/Chris VandeVelde/Ryan Keller
Hunter Tremblay/Ryan Martindale/Mark Arcobello
Philppe Cornet/Tanner House/Josh Green
extras:Milan Kytnar, Ryan O'Marra,Andre Lord, Antti Tyrvainen,Triston Grant
Personally, I would have Antti Tyrvainen on the 4th line instead of Cornet. Too many players at the forward position on this roster and it still is possible that in a couple weeks Lander could end up joining the Barons. How would you line up the farm team forward lines? Obviously O'Marra can't be sitting so there are some hard decisions to make. Curious to see how opening night lineup will look.
For continued information on Oiler and Baron news and 2012/13 NHL draft watch, you can follow me on twitter at www.twitter.com/revingev
It's the most wonderful time of the year!
Nah, screw that! It's hockey season once again folks! Not just the beginning of the 2011-12 NHL season (which was a few days ago now), but more importantly, Oilers hockey season!
So... What's changed in the world since 2010-11?
Firstly, a new look: As soon as I saw Ryan Nugent-Hopkins pull on a vintage Oilers road jersey (albeit with the Reebok EDGE style collar), I knew one thing was certain: we'd OFFICIALLY dumped the Midnight Blue & Copper colours. Thank God we have, I hated them! The Oilers website looks fresh, it looks good, and it's got all the Blue & Orange touches I could ever dream of! The wallpapers there are also excellent. If you've not seen it, I recommend you go to the Oilers website (no link provision necessary) and download Marcel Schoenhardt's Taylor Hall wallpaper - it's bitchin'!
Secondly, a re-hashed line-up. I think the Oilers franchise made some very good off-season acquisitions, headlined by the "Return of #94", the one and only, Ryan Smyth! (acquired from LA for Colin "Crap" Fraser) Smytty's EXACTLY what this franchise needs right now - a leader (and I don't mean Horcoff) who can show these blossoming kids (Hall, Eberle, Paajarvi, Omark, Nugent-Hopkins etc...) exactly what it means to be an Oiler and play in front of these Diehard* fans.
*Pay close attention to that word, "Diehard", I'll be using it again towards the end of the blog...
We also made a excellent move by acquiring Éric Bélanger (accentuated name and all) from free agency; because, let's face it, the Oilers have stunk at winning draws in the faceoff circle for the last 5 years or so... There's also Ben "Hothead" Eager flanking our 4th line LW and new D's "BIG... Did I say BIGGGGGG?" Andy Sutton (acquired from ANA for Kurtis Foster) and Cam "trying to get my career back on track" Barker shoring up the Oilers blueline. I still think we're missing a top-end D-Man to pair with Ryan Whitney (when he returns from injury), but maybe he's there just waiting to be discovered in Oklahoma City, or Prince George, perhaps?
Whilst keeping within the same point, we're going the other way now with new additions that have come in the form of people like Anton Lander (very excited to see what he's going to do for us), who solidly edged out Gilbert "Bye, have fun in OKC!" Brulé from the Oilers roster, Lennart Petrell (excellent PK guy - he's a bit of a bitch for having a clause in his contract which states "If I don't play NHL, I'm going home to Finland..." My retort: "Grow up, you fucking child!"), Jeff Petry, I had said around various other websites he'd get an NHL job this season and Corey Potter, who's a bit of a dark horse, but had an excellent showing throughout camp, Potter's a necessity for us right now, because of our defensive injury crisis (Already!? Yes, already!) and finally... Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who'll get his 9 games this season for sure, will he get anymore? You're damn right he will! Not only can he find the back of the net, but he's an unselfish playmaker too, who'll have no problem finding a Hall or an Eberle in the right spot waiting to slot it home.
Although it's exciting to see how RNH handles his 1st NHL season, what REALLY excites me is Taylor Hall, he's the true Oilers franchise player. In 10 years time, if you're asked to name an Edmonton Oilers player straight off the top of your head, the first name you think of should be Taylor Hall, because he's this generation's Mark Messier; the embodiment of hard-work, leadership and having the ability to take charge and change a whole game at the snap of his fingers. (Remember Hall's first NHL hat trick when we played Atlanta? That's exactly what I'm talking about!)
Thirdly, not really Oilers-related, but kind of is; my wife is pregnant again with her 3rd (my 2nd) child - a girl, who we're going to name "Jasmine Leah Jericho". She's due in early February 2012, but she'll likely arrive sooner like her older sister (Alexa) did. Another Oilers fan in the world is a GOOD thing, not a bad thing!
Right... It's now time for some plugs:
I haven't designed any artwork for a while, but I'm waiting on some decent media to come my way, before I get started. I have, however, changed my Twitter handle. I can now be found HERE.
Remember the word Diehard? Good! You were paying attention. If you're on the ol' Facebook, be sure to check out the "Edmonton Oilers Diehards" group. It's a "closed" group, we don't let anyone just walk in - but if you're here to spread Oilers love without trolling other members, then it's all good. We don't allow Flames fans, or Canucks fans etc in; they'd make the group look bad (á la the Oilers Official Facebook page) when spreading their hate.
Erm... I think that's all I got for now. If there's anything you guys think I've missed, do drop me a comment and I'll post something up.
So... What's changed in the world since 2010-11?
Firstly, a new look: As soon as I saw Ryan Nugent-Hopkins pull on a vintage Oilers road jersey (albeit with the Reebok EDGE style collar), I knew one thing was certain: we'd OFFICIALLY dumped the Midnight Blue & Copper colours. Thank God we have, I hated them! The Oilers website looks fresh, it looks good, and it's got all the Blue & Orange touches I could ever dream of! The wallpapers there are also excellent. If you've not seen it, I recommend you go to the Oilers website (no link provision necessary) and download Marcel Schoenhardt's Taylor Hall wallpaper - it's bitchin'!
Secondly, a re-hashed line-up. I think the Oilers franchise made some very good off-season acquisitions, headlined by the "Return of #94", the one and only, Ryan Smyth! (acquired from LA for Colin "Crap" Fraser) Smytty's EXACTLY what this franchise needs right now - a leader (and I don't mean Horcoff) who can show these blossoming kids (Hall, Eberle, Paajarvi, Omark, Nugent-Hopkins etc...) exactly what it means to be an Oiler and play in front of these Diehard* fans.
*Pay close attention to that word, "Diehard", I'll be using it again towards the end of the blog...
We also made a excellent move by acquiring Éric Bélanger (accentuated name and all) from free agency; because, let's face it, the Oilers have stunk at winning draws in the faceoff circle for the last 5 years or so... There's also Ben "Hothead" Eager flanking our 4th line LW and new D's "BIG... Did I say BIGGGGGG?" Andy Sutton (acquired from ANA for Kurtis Foster) and Cam "trying to get my career back on track" Barker shoring up the Oilers blueline. I still think we're missing a top-end D-Man to pair with Ryan Whitney (when he returns from injury), but maybe he's there just waiting to be discovered in Oklahoma City, or Prince George, perhaps?
Whilst keeping within the same point, we're going the other way now with new additions that have come in the form of people like Anton Lander (very excited to see what he's going to do for us), who solidly edged out Gilbert "Bye, have fun in OKC!" Brulé from the Oilers roster, Lennart Petrell (excellent PK guy - he's a bit of a bitch for having a clause in his contract which states "If I don't play NHL, I'm going home to Finland..." My retort: "Grow up, you fucking child!"), Jeff Petry, I had said around various other websites he'd get an NHL job this season and Corey Potter, who's a bit of a dark horse, but had an excellent showing throughout camp, Potter's a necessity for us right now, because of our defensive injury crisis (Already!? Yes, already!) and finally... Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who'll get his 9 games this season for sure, will he get anymore? You're damn right he will! Not only can he find the back of the net, but he's an unselfish playmaker too, who'll have no problem finding a Hall or an Eberle in the right spot waiting to slot it home.
Although it's exciting to see how RNH handles his 1st NHL season, what REALLY excites me is Taylor Hall, he's the true Oilers franchise player. In 10 years time, if you're asked to name an Edmonton Oilers player straight off the top of your head, the first name you think of should be Taylor Hall, because he's this generation's Mark Messier; the embodiment of hard-work, leadership and having the ability to take charge and change a whole game at the snap of his fingers. (Remember Hall's first NHL hat trick when we played Atlanta? That's exactly what I'm talking about!)
Thirdly, not really Oilers-related, but kind of is; my wife is pregnant again with her 3rd (my 2nd) child - a girl, who we're going to name "Jasmine Leah Jericho". She's due in early February 2012, but she'll likely arrive sooner like her older sister (Alexa) did. Another Oilers fan in the world is a GOOD thing, not a bad thing!
Right... It's now time for some plugs:
I haven't designed any artwork for a while, but I'm waiting on some decent media to come my way, before I get started. I have, however, changed my Twitter handle. I can now be found HERE.
Remember the word Diehard? Good! You were paying attention. If you're on the ol' Facebook, be sure to check out the "Edmonton Oilers Diehards" group. It's a "closed" group, we don't let anyone just walk in - but if you're here to spread Oilers love without trolling other members, then it's all good. We don't allow Flames fans, or Canucks fans etc in; they'd make the group look bad (á la the Oilers Official Facebook page) when spreading their hate.
Erm... I think that's all I got for now. If there's anything you guys think I've missed, do drop me a comment and I'll post something up.
What Gets Us Found:
Anton Lander,
facebook,
Jordan Eberle,
Magnus Paajarvi,
OilersJambalaya.com,
RussJericho23,
Ryan Smyth,
Taylor Hall,
Twitter
Friday, October 7, 2011
Stockton Thunder Game Preview vs Bakersfield Condors
Stockton Thunder vs. Bakersfield Condors
TICKETS: Sit wherever you want, for just $10 tonight
DATE:: Friday, October 7, 2011
TIME: 7:30 p.m.
SITE: Stockton Arena
RADIO: 92.5 FM (inside Stockton Arena only)
ONLINE: StocktonThunder.com (AmericaOne)
NHL AFFILIATES
Stockton Thunder: Edmonton Oilers, San Jose Sharks
Bakersfield Condors: None
NEXT HOME GAME
Friday, October 14, 2011 vs. Colorado Eagles (Opening Night) – 7:30 p.m.
TONIGHT’S MATCHUP
The Thunder open the 2011-12 preseason tonight against the Bakersfield Condors at Stockton Arena, the first of back-to-back matchups in as many days against their Pacific Division rivals. Both teams finished tied for first place in the Pacific Division last year and the Condors were awarded the title banner via a tiebreaker. Both teams will become very familiar with each other – there are 13 matchups ahead in the regular season, featuring a coaching matchup of past and present Thunder representatives. Both teams will close the preseason schedule tomorrow night in a rematch at Rabobank Arena.
THUNDER TEAM NOTES
The Thunder will roll out a re-tooled lineup tonight, featuring seven returning players from last year’s team and two newcomers – Jason Morgan and Matt Foy – who have playing experience in the National Hockey League. Morgan has suited up for five NHL clubs, most recently with Minnesota Wild. Coincidentally, Foy joins him as a reunited teammate, who previously skated with Morgan in Minnesota and in the American Hockey League with the Houston Aeros. Additionally, right winger Kevin Baker joins the roster after spending last season in Italy with Ritten-Renon and capturing the ECHL’s Most Valuable Player award with the Florida Everblades in 2008-09.
SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION
The Thunder will be squaring off with familiar faces on the rival bench. The Condors are led by new head coach Matt O’Dette, who was with the Thunder the last three seasons as a defenseman and assistant coach. He either played or coached under head coach Matt Thomas from 2005-11 in Stockton and Fresno. Joining O’Dette on the Condors roster are four former Thunder players – goaltender Bryan Pitton, forwards Matt Marquardt and Jesse Gimblett, and defenseman Trevor Hunt (brother Garet is in his fourth season with the Thunder).
FREE PLAY
The Thunder return to Stockton Arena on Sunday for “Fan Fest” at 4:00 p.m., hosting an event that is free-of-charge and open the public, providing fans with a rare opportunity to interact with Thunder players and coaching staff, collect autographs and photos and pick up brand new Thunder merchandise for the season while experiencing a taste of the Thunder game night experience. Thunder players will participate in events such as Puck Control Relay, Hardest Shot and Breakaway Relay. The expanded event will include a special raffle, offering fans a chance to take their shot at a Thunder goaltender on the ice and a unique “empty net” shot competition for goaltenders.
The Fan Deck will be open during the event, where all fans will have a chance to win Thunder prizes and present kids with a chance to enroll in the new, no cost Thor’s “Kids Club.”Following the Skills Competition, several members of the Thunder will sign autographs for fans on the Fan Deck. Fans can also bring their hockey and lifestyle questions for their favorite player and coaching staff from 5-6 p.m. in the Comcast Club for a special “Q&A Session.”
-WRITTEN BY THE STOCKTON THUNDER-
*This article was reposted at OilersJambalaya.com with the permission from the Stockton Thunder hockey club.*
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