The Sedin Twins: The Epitome of Consistency
Dimitri Filipovic
December 21 2012 10:36AM
The near 19,000 in attendance have known exactly what they're going to get from these two over the past 7 years.
Over at Leafs Nation, Cam Charron, as he's one to do, rather eloquently dismantled the narrative that Phil Kessel is an inconsistent, streaky scorer. It got me thinking about the Sedins, who have been consistency personified since the (last) lockout. Even the biggest Sedin detractors - and there certainly have their fair share - can't help but marvel at how reliable they have been over the course of their peak seasons.
Since 2005-06, they have been a virtual lock for 75-85 points each (with both of them having 1 remarkable outlier of a season jumbled in there), while lacing the skates up and being out there every single night. While they haven't had the prolific 60-goal campaign of an Alex Ovechkin or Steven Stamkos, or even a miraculous run along the lines of Sidney Crosby in 2010, they have routinely found themselves atop the list of points leaders come the end of the season.
Consistency is a skill. It's a skill which separates the transcendent players from the ones that are just good. It's impressive seeing a player put together a memorable season which vaults him into the discussion for the best the game has to offer. What's even more impressive, though, is seeing a player prove that it wasn't an abberation by maintaining his place at the top.
What do the numbers, and trends, say about the Sedins' consistency over the years?
Read Past the Jump for More.
Wolves Take the Heat to School, Continue Winning Ways
Dimitri Filipovic
December 19 2012 01:18PM
Back on October 19th, the Chicago Wolves improved to 4-0 on the season thanks in large part to a virtuoso performance by Zack Kassian in front of a building filled with Canucks fans, and brass. It would be an understatement to say that the Wolves have seen their share of ups and downs since then. Nonetheless, they continued their winning ways, stretching their winning streak to 4 games following a 1-0 victory against the Abbotsford Heat. Enjoy one of their patented "ups" while it lasts, folks.
Read Past the Jump for Notes on the Game.
Taking A Closer Look at Nicklas Jensen's Production
Dimitri Filipovic
December 18 2012 11:40AM
In the past few weeks, Jeff Angus has done an admirable job of revisiting the Canucks prospect rankings which we published all the way back in the summer. The importance of sample size cannot be overstated - especially with young players, who are notoriously inconsistent - which means that we'd need to see more than 4 months of hockey to make any sort of substantial shifts in the way we view the prospects. But it's always fun to look back and touch base, to see how things are preliminarily shaking out.
Throughout these past few months, I feel as if we have done an adequate job of keeping our readers in the loop as it relates to Canucks prospects, and their AHL affiliate. We have done Chicago Wolves game recaps, with a specific focus on the players that could play an important role on the Canucks in the near future. We have been all over the rising star that is Frank(ie?) Corrado, and his involvement with the Subway Super Series and Canadian World Junior Championship team.
All of those things are close to home, and we're constantly reminded of them. Someone who may not necessarily be on your mind, but should, is prolific left winger Nicklas Jensen. Sometimes it's easy to forget about him - out of sight, out of mind, right? - given that he's playing in an overseas league (that isn't the suddenly booming KHL). But he was ranked 3rd in our Top 20, and friend of the blog Corey Pronman slotted him in as the 3rd best under-22 player in the Canucks organization. He is highly regarded, and his play thus far this season warrants further discussion.
Read Past the Jump for More.
Wolves Aren't Scared of Monsters, Stay on a Roll
Dimitri Filipovic
December 15 2012 08:58PM
Throwing those teddy bears was fun. But now someone has to pick them up.
I think it would be fair to say that the most recent Chicago Wolves game recap I did prior to this one - which was back on December 7th, in case you missed it - marked rock bottom for the Canucks' AHL affiliate. They had just submitted a dismal effort on their home ice, falling to 9-9-3 on the year.
I noted that Scott Arniel had to have been feeling the pressure at that point. He couldn't afford to see his team put forth too many more performances in the vein of the one against Grand Rapids. What followed was a players-only meeting prior to the tilt against Rockford, and two impressive wins where the Wolves put their cojones on display. Apparently they had seen enough of the lackluster play, too.
They moved their win streak to three games on Saturday night, with a hard-fought victory against a game Lake Erie squad.
Read Past the Jump for Notes on the Game.
Wolves Don't Receive Arniel's Message, Fall to Griffins
Dimitri Filipovic
December 07 2012 10:14PM
The disarray is symbolic of the Wolves' effort. At least they showed some fight here, though.
Last Saturday night, Scott Arniel channeled his inner Gregg Popovich. Sort of. Even though it was for completely different reasons, the coach sat many of his team's stars in an attempt to send a message. After having fallen all the way down to .500 - including a 1-5-2 swoon to end the month of November - the team responded with a strong effort against the Peoria Rivermen, by winning 3-1.
The likes of Jordan Schroeder, Zack Kassian and Kevin Connauton were all back in the lineup for this tilt against the Red Wings' AHL affiliate, and unfortunately, the team reverted back to its old nasty habits. In a completely listless effort in front of their home crowd, the Wolves lost by a score of 3-0. Unfortunately for Arniel, his message didn't get through with the same efficiency as the voice mail sent by the NHL to the PA.
Read Past the Jump for Notes on the Game.
