Canucks Weekly Prospect Report – Nov 13, 2013

We have been running this particular feature on Thursdays, but because of the Canucks schedule this week, we’re dishing out the goods a day early. It has been another busy week – and I’m not just saying that so that you keep reading! – as every league is playing and reaching the quarter mark of their schedules. 

Sample sizes are starting to get large enough to get a good idea of where certain individuals sit. I also managed to do a bit of deeper analysis of Comets’ players this week, which you’ll hopefully enjoy.  As always, follow me @nuckprospects on Twitter for the latest in prospect news and feed free to send me any feedback on anything prospect related you wish me to cover.

Without further ado..

Utica started this week off the same way as always, with another loss.  This time the final score was 0-4 for Lake Erie and much like the score the game was not even close.  Shots were 42 – 21 for Lake Erie with Eriksson making 38 of 42 saves.  Stuart and Jensen lead the team each with 4 SOG.  David Booth was quiet on the game with a -1 but he did manage 2 SOG.  The Comets went 0 for 5 on the PP and 3 for 5 on the PK.  DeFazio received 10 minute game misconduct for unsportsmanlike conduct.

– Utica’s Game Report
– AHLs Box Score

Things finally changed for the Comets as they earned their first win of the year!  On Friday night the Comets faced Lake Erie for back to back games and were able to walk away with two points and their first franchise victory.  The final score was 3-2 and the shots were 28-24 for the Comets.  Goals were scored by Mallet, Mullen and Stuart.  Stuart had 5 SOG, Jensen had 4 SOG.  Booth was much more active in this game, he only had 1 SOG but he did get an assist on the Mullen goal on the PP.  Eriksson made 22 of 24 saves.  The PP went 1 for 5 and the P K went 2 for 2.  

– Utica Game Report
– AHL’s Box score

After their first win the Comets travelled to Hamilton where they won a second game and now have the franchises first Win Streak!  The final score was 3 – 1 with shots 32 – 30 for the Comets.  Goals were scored by Hamill, Grenier and Stuart.  Stuart and Jensen again led the team with SOG with 5 and 4 respectively.  Booth also had 3 SOG.  Eriksson made 29 of 30 saves.  The PP was 0 for 2 but the PK was 3 for 3.  Let’s hope the Comets continue playing this way.

– Utica Game Report
– AHL’s Box Score

Players stats who have played at least one game with the Comets, (X) indicates not currently on the active roster, so far are:

Goalies so far:

I also went through all the games and looked at who was on the ice for each even strength and all situations goals to see see who has been involved in the goals for and against.  Below is the Gf% and EvGf% for all Comets who have been on the ice for at least one goal. 

Currently the Comets are in 15th place with 6 points (2-8-1-1).  They have been out-scored 26 to 41 (-15), and have been outshot 336 to 355 (-19).  They are controlling 48.63% (acknowledging score effects) of the shots with an on ice shooting percentage of 7.8% and a save percentage of 88.2.  A simple version of PDO puts them at 96% which is a slight improvement over last week as their goaltending has looked better with two wins. Their PP is currently at 16.67% (20th place) and their PK is 76.47% (28th place).

The Comets will be playing twice this upcoming week.  Both games will be in Utica, on Friday they will play the Rochester Americans and then on Saturday they will play their first game against the Texas Stars. 

Booth has played fairly well in his three games down with the Comets.  He has been given plenty of ice time, and special teams time, perfect for his condition stint.  So far the Comets have yet to win a game without him.  While his box score numbers weren’t as high as some of the other leaders on the team, Booth continues to be actively involved in the game.  Jensen is the opposite, he’s leading the team in SOG/G with 3.67 but he not been able to find the back of the net yet.  I would think when the puck luck starts to swing his way he will start racking up the points.

Looking at the Goals For % table there are some interesting things.  We do have to remember this is a small sample size as it’s only been 12 games.  The top players such as Archibald and Pelletier, their numbers meet the eye test.  Corrado is doing well.  Grenier is also doing well, he’s improved a lot this year and not too many people are talking about him.  Lain has been quiet on this table, despite lots of playing time, it reflects his more defensive role.  Scoring is good, but preventing a lot of goals is good too.  Stuart hasn’t done as well as his points are reflecting and Ferriero is just terrible.  I think I looked at 8 games before he was even on the ice for a goal for. 

Welsh and Archibald might be fixutres up in the NHL in the near future.  They continue to float around 50% Fenwick and Corsi despite playing more defensive minutes.  They are looking better than Sestito and Dalpe despite playing less time a game.  It should be noted, as Pass it to Bulis wrote earlier, Archibald’s on ice PDO is 111.4, he’s been on the ice for 4 goals for, and only one against.  It is likely our perception of him might change as these numbers start to even out.  Keep track of their statistics on ExtraSkater.com.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see Archibald recalled back to the NHL again later this season.

McEneny has not played a game since last week due to a concussion.  That’s an injury you never want to see a player sustain because you can never tell just how badly, or for how long, it will affect them.  The Ranger’s Report detail that McEneny was hit in the head by Guelph’s Robby Fabbri at the end of October.  Fabbri was suspended for 10 games and is eligible to return November 29.  The Guelph Mercury and Yahoo’s Buzzing the Net cover this a bit more in detail.  Earlier reports suggest he should be back in play soon.

Cassels has been a bit of a surprise this year in his sudden point production.  I have been noting this every week and right now he is producing more PPG than Horvat and Shinkaruk (but I bet this will even out over a larger sample size).  This last week has been a bit quieter for him, it would be hard to top a four goal night, but he is still producing at a nice clip.

Gaunce has been suspended for one game for his kneeing major in his last game on Sunday.  He will be eligible to return on Saturday.

In the OHL the Oshawa Generals are 1st in the East with 33 points while Belleville is 10th with 12 points.  In the West London is 4th with 26 points and Kitchener is 9th with 11 Points.

Don’t forget to watch the Quest for the Cup with Bo Horvat and the London Knights on Sportsnet.  You can watch the first episode online.

And so far this year the stats of these players are:

In the WHL things are a bit quieter.  Cederholm remains quiet on the score sheet while Shinkaruk has returned from his injury.  In his 3 games back he has scored 1G and 1A.  Both Portland and Medicine Hat are ranked first in their respective conferences with 34 and 31 points respectively.

And so far this season the players stats in the WHL are:

University of Maine men won and lost a game again.  Ben Hutton conitnues to look strong with 3-2-5 Pts through 9 games and maintaining 3 SOG/G.  The Badgers have not played a game in the last week but will play another two this weekend.  Penn State played 1 game this week picking up a victory against Sacred Heart, but Williamson did not play.  Penn State has another two games this weekend.  Yale will be playing Sacred Heart this weekend, and played two game last week, a win and a tie against Princeton and Quinnipac.  McNally still has not played yet and may return to play next weekend.  Harvard is currently 2-3-1 and has two games this weekend at Quinnipac and Princeton. 

Kalamazoo played one game this week and it was sure eventful.  The K-Wings eventually lost 5-6 to Cincinnati.  Blain got his first goal of the year as well as 17 PIM for fighting, and a game misconduct.  The K-Wings will play again twice this weekend.  In St Charles lost and won a game against Tulsa. They will be playing against on Friday and Saturday night. Corbeil has not been looking good in the CHL, he has been relegated to back up as of late, and he has been pulled in the few recent game he has started in.  It’s a small sample, but the numbers are not looking good for him.  Gwinnett Gladiators are continuing to be successful with the addition of Sasha Guimond.  The Gladiators have now won 2 of 3 in the last week; over the next week they will be playing four times.  It’s too bad it didnt work out for him in Utica, he can continue to produce down in the ECHL. 

And Corbeil’s stats are:

For the Canucks prospects in Europe, Anton Rodin has taken a break from the SHL to play in the Euro Hockey Tour for Team Sweden.  He played three games but did not record a point.

Some extra reading for you.